Deviant
by Taipan Kiryu
Summary: After making amends with his origins, Thundercracker is forced to deal with long hidden doubts that will lead him to question the Decepticon cause and look for his true identity. The biggest transformations happen inside. Sequel to my fic "Purple rain".
1. Chapter 1

**Deviant**

**Written by Taipan Kiryu**

_Summary: After making amends with his origins, Thundercracker is forced to deal with long hidden doubts that will lead him to question the Decepticon cause and look for his true identity. The biggest transformations happen inside. Sequel to my fic "Purple rain."_

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_This story follows the events in my fic "Purple rain", in which it's discovered that Thundercracker was created by an Autobot and that he wasn't assembled as a Seeker, but later got reformatted into one. _

_Two things are certain about Thundercracker: he despises everything that can't fly and he has doubts about the Decepticon cause. During this story, I will focus especially on the second idea.  
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_You don't have to read "Purple rain" in order to follow this fic, but it would help to understand the doubts and inner conflicts that Thundercracker will have to deal with after his return from Cybertron._

_I want to deeply thank my friend iratepirate for all her support and beta reading services. Without her, my fics would be a collection of grammar mistakes ;o) I never give her my author's notes to revise, so I assume complete responsability for the typos inside such notes. I'm sure there are some!_

_Deca-cycle = 3 weeks.  
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**Chapter 1**

**The doubts behind the shadow**

Earth had witnessed countless oddities, incorporating many of them into its own nature, into its own sounds and scenarios. But the sight of extraterrestrial sentient robots was still too surprising for the organic planet, not yet ready to add such a scene to its heritage of rarities.

However, nothing would stop a pair of steel titans from colouring the last traces of the night with their own spectrum. Sparks caused by hits and errant shots welcomed the incoming day. But the two metallic beings, completely focused on their combat, ignored the unique view of the pinkish terrestrial dawn.

A black structure disappeared within the last glimpses of darkness. A purple flash later, it reappeared, ready to cause damage. But he wasn't fast enough.

"You are dead, Warp."

Skywarp smirked and shook his head, lifting his arms, signalling his defeat.

"If I hadn't have stayed in my alt mode, this victory wouldn't be yours. You know that, don't you TC?"

"But you transformed, and I knew you would reappear close to these coordinates. Your trajectories are very predictable," Thundercracker continued, lowering the cannon of his weapon from his wingmate's head.

"You say that because you have witnessed them too many times already. We have practiced combat techniques together for thousands of vorns. But don't get too comfortable; I can still surprise you."

"If you say so," Thundercracker replied as he began to lose altitude. "Let's descend. My servo-motor's overheated and I need to cool down."

Both Decepticon Seekers slowly went down and landed in a terrestrial scenery that humans denominated as 'woods'. Thundercracker avoided touching the vegetal specimens of the place, but Skywarp had no problems in pulling out a tree from its roots with a vicious kick.

"These damn things are everywhere," the black jet complained. "They are a real plague."

Thundercracker ignored him and walked toward a near lake. He sat on the edge and submerged his right leg into the crystalline water.

"You are lucky we are oxide-proof," Skywarp said as he sat beside his friend.

"I've discovered that terrestrial water is quite effective for basic cooling off purposes. You should try it sometime, Warp. Somehow it's sort of… relaxing."

"Never. You won't see me touching that dirty liquid unless strictly necessary."

Thundercracker glanced at the lake. It was such a contradiction that on a planet as chaotic as Earth, places like that could exist, so calm… It seemed that the morning wind and some eventual splashing from the organic creatures that inhabited the lake were the only ones who could disturb the tranquil surface of that liquid that mimicked the sky.

"You really hate this planet, right Warp?"

"Don't you? It's a lousy scum pit."

"It's too flat for my taste… but it has some tolerable places, like this one."

"Tolerable?" Skywarp asked, grabbing a big stone and throwing it toward the center of the lake. The rock broke the mirrored surface of the water and sank down, leaving a retinue of waves behind.

"See?" Skywarp continued. "It's just a slagging hole filled with water."

"Your perception is amazing," Thundercracker said ironically.

"You know me, TC. All this hateful tranquillity repulses me… You like it because you are a slagging Autobot in disguise."

Skywarp realized his mistake too late. His hand, about to throw a second stone to the water, froze in the middle of the movement. The rock fell back to the ground.

"Oh slag… I'm sorry, TC… I…"

"It doesn't matter."

"I was just joking," Skywarp continued, strongly hitting his forehead with the palm of his hand. "You know I always talk before thinking… I swear I didn't mean to…"

"I already told you it's alright, Warp. Just forget about it."

An uncomfortable silence reigned for some astro seconds. Skywarp considered throwing a tree into the lake to break its calmed surface again, but for some reason he felt unable to do it. Perhaps Thundercracker was right and those terrestrial spots were somehow… hypnotic. It seemed that war had never touched that lonely location.

"So… how is everything going?" Skywarp asked, daring to speak again.

Thundercracker pulled his leg out from the water and folded it, resting it on the edge of the lake.

"You mean the entire base talking behind my back and distrusting me? The same, I guess," he replied. His deep voice sounded as neutral as always, although Skywarp could perceive a trace of annoyance.

"Well… trust is not part of our programming. Don't take it personal."

"I don't. Everybody can talk slag as far as I'm concerned."

"And how about the Autobot insignias? How many times have they appeared painted outside your quarters?"

"During this current deca-cycle? Four times."

"Only four? Last deca-cycle there were seven."

"Yes, the frequency is decreasing. Lucky me," Thundercracker said ironically.

"Come on… Rumble and Frenzy will get tired of drawing them eventually. I was so close to giving them a lesson the last solar cycle, but Soundwave was dangerously close."

"Don't get yourself in trouble because of me, Warp. I can handle all this by myself."

"I like to harass those runts anyway, don't worry… Besides, you are my brother."

Thundercracker smiled, staring at his wingmate. Skywarp could be an egomaniacal lunatic most of the time, but he also knew better about loyalty than most Decepticons.

"Thank you, Warp… I really appreciate your support."

"Bah, don't mention it… You're not going to try to kiss me now, are you?"

Thundercracker threw a punch as his answer, but the black Seeker agilely blocked it.

"Well, that's better, because you are not my type," Skywarp continued joking. "Did you finish enjoying your new favourite secret place? It's getting late and our combat practice will end in few breems. If we delay any longer Screamer will be all over us the rest of the solar cycle."

Thundercracker got up and followed Skywarp toward the sky. Once again, the extraterrestrial sounds of transformation disrupted the sound spectrum of the organic planet that had been forced to shelter a foreign war.

"_Race you to the base," _Skywarp transmitted through his com link.

"_Too much of an advantage for you. You always teleport."_

"_I won't do it this time."_

"_I'm not in the mood."_

"_You never are when you know you will lose. You perfectly know I'm faster than you, TC."_

"_Correction: you are more of a cheater than me."_

A loud laugh shook the private frequency of both Seekers.

"_Yeah… I can't deny that… Aw, but come on, I promise I won't teleport. I bet you five energon cubes that I arrive at least three astroseconds before you."_

"_Fine. But regular energon cubes; no high grade."_

"_You always spoil the fun, bro."_

Loud engine roars announced the beginning of the race. Skywarp and Thundercracker welcomed the terrestrial day with their unique style, challenging the skies.

Too much alike in their flying manoeuvres, both Decepticons flew one beside the other for the first few breems, making it impossible to predict a winner.

Thundercracker accelerated, although his speed didn't have anything to do with the friendly competition. He simply enjoyed the sky. It was his element; perhaps not the one meant for him, but the one he had chosen. He had sacrificed a lot in order to make that choice a reality.

The Atlantic Ocean was already in sight when he felt Skywarp slightly decreasing his speed. A fast revision of his radar confirmed it.

"_Wait, TC… Let's cancel the race."_

"_Why? What is going on?"_

"_See it yourself. Check quadrant twenty four-eight."_

Thundercracker's radar centered on an energy signal that was slowly approaching.

"_Human aircraft…_" he concluded. _"Disguise your signal, Warp."_

"_What? Why?"_

"_We are still on our practice period. Let's avoid any kind of confrontation."_

"_And what better practice than some real action?"_

"_That's not a military aircraft."_

"_How can you be so sure?"_

"_You would also be sure if you had read the reports that Starscream added to our data banks."_

"_They bore me… almost as much as Screamer."_

Thundercracker's sigh through the com link sounded more than clear. _"Register this, then: Passenger airplane. Denomination: Boeing 777-200ER. Motor PW4084…"_

"_Fine, fine, I got it… So passenger airplane, huh? Does it carry some kind of weaponry? Missiles, perhaps?"_

"_Negative."_

"_Frag it! I had the hope that we could have a decent fight before returning to the base… Where are those accursed Aerialbots when you need them?"_

Skywarp growled a colorful mixture of Cybertronian curses for some astroseconds, just as he used to do every time something didn't slightly fill his expectations. Thundercracker decided to ignore him; he knew that eventually his friend would return to his normal prankster and careless self.

But it wouldn't happen that time. After ending his frustrated speech, Skywarp broke the tense silence that followed with a brusque twist toward his left, breaking the perfect formation he had with his wingmate and heading toward the human plane that was very close already.

"_Warp! What in the Pit…?"_

"_You know, TC? I just decided that I will have some action after all. I say we bring down the slagging passenger airplane or whatever its name is."_

"_That thing has no way to defend itself. What do you expect to win attacking such an inferior opponent?"_

"_Fun," _was Skywarp's dry answer right before accelerating at full speed toward his candidate for target practice.

Thundercracker repressed the angry roar of his engines and followed his wingmate.

"_I see it, TC! It's bigger than I thought… and ugly… Thank Primus we weren't reformatted into one of those models… I would look fat transformed into a piece of junk like that."_

"_And what did you expect from a simple passenger airplane?"_

"_I expect it to explode into a decent amount of pieces when we make it crash! I bet you ten energon cubes that I can blow its right wing off from this distance. You can take care of the left one."_

"_Thank you very much for your generosity, but I will decline your offer."_

"_Fine… you can have the turbines. But don't tell Screamer I gave them away."_

"_Warp…"_

"_Heat-seeking missiles, seek heat!!" _Skywarp cheerfully shouted as two small hatches in the lower part of his fuselage opened and two deadly weapons shone with the sunlight.

About to fulfil his favourite battle cry, Skywarp was forced to perform another violent twist, this time to avoid crashing with the blue and grey shape of his best friend.

"_But what the…?! Do you have slag for cerebro-circuits, TC??!! I almost destroyed you, you idiot!"_

"_Are you going to waste two missiles on a useless and defenseless target? We are supposed to keep a low profile during training missions."_

"_That's what I am doing!"_

"_Destroying an aircraft of that size is keeping a low profile to you? Slag it, Warp, I don't want to imagine what you do when you actually want to draw attention."_

"_By the fragging Matrix… it's just a human plane!"_

"_That carries 347 flesh creatures on board. Do you think the Autobots will remain arms-folded if we start to assassinate human civilians just for fun? Megatron has been very clear: we must fight the humans mercilessly when they get in our way. He never said anything about attacking non military targets."_

Skywarp transformed into his robotic mode. Thundercracker did the same. Both Seekers stared at each other in silence. Far behind them, the Boeing continued its journey, oblivious to the danger that had just grazed it.

"It wouldn't have been my first time," Skywarp harshly said.

The distant sound of the engines of the plane got lost in the distance, even to the advanced audio sensors of both Decepticons.

"You know, TC… sometimes you make it really hard just to try and understand you."

"What is it that you don't understand?" Thundercracker carefully asked.

Skywarp half opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He stayed floating, glancing at his wingmate with a strangely serious expression on his face plates.

"Let's go back to the base," he finally said, transforming and heading toward the Nemesis, this time not taking any deviation.

Thundercracker didn't follow immediately.

_To be continued._

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_Well, that was it for the first chapter. Please let me know if you enjoyed it. I have most of the second chapter already written, so expect a fast update._

_I couldn't resist to use the "Heat-seeking missiles..." line, a classic Skywarp's from the G1 episode "SOS Dinobots". Gotta love him!_


	2. Poison tastes better served in a cube

"_Doubt is the beginning of wisdom."_

_Aristotle (384-322 BC)_

_Many hugs to iratepirate for beta reading._

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**Chapter 2**

**Poison tastes better served in a cube**

A stripe of light snuck into the room as soon as the door hissed open, falling on one of the tables of the place and its lonely occupant.

"Hey, Screamer," Skywarp absent-mindedly said, slightly nodding his head to his superior officer as he walked toward the big energon dispenser attached to the rear wall.

Starscream didn't reply, slowly shaking the half-filled energon cube he had in his hand. As every occasion where he had the rare luxury of having free time, he liked not to hurry consuming his daily fuel, an activity he was used to doing in complete solitude.

But he remained in the Refuel Unit destined only for Seekers despite the entrance of Skywarp. As always, Starscream had his own agenda.

"You and Thundercracker arrived late from your combat practice," he said as he internally connected his processor to the Nemesis' main computer. "You should have been back before 0700 terrestrial hours, but your registered arrival time was 0709."

"I knew you would notice," Skywarp said as he entered an empty cube into the energon dispenser. "You never waste an opportunity to spit poison."

Starscream smirked, oblivious to the comments of his wingmate. It didn't escape his attention that Skywarp didn't have his usual superficial and careless attitude. Something was bothering him.

"Did something happen to cause such delay?" Starscream asked with apparent indifference, giving another sip to his energon.

"Nothing," was the sombre answer. "A simple miscalculation in our arrival time."

"I see… a simple miscalculation. Then I should suppose nothing out of the ordinary happened during your routine combat practice."

"You'd do well supposing that, because that's exactly what happened."

"Everything normal, then…" Starscream insisted. "Any interesting sights?"

Skywarp remained motionless for a moment in front of the full energon cube the dispenser expelled. He finally grabbed it and walked toward the most remote table from the one Starscream occupied. The black Seeker internally cursed his trine leader… he seemed to have optics and audios everywhere.

"You tell me," Skywarp said, trying to sound as indifferent as he could. "After all, you must have sent some of your spy probes to follow us. How sophisticated."

"_Sophisticated?"_ Starscream laughed. "Are you expanding your reduced vocabulary, Skywarp? I am surprised… But I wouldn't describe my actions as despicable espionage. I am your trine leader, besides your Air Commander. Making sure of the safety of my dear wingmates is just one of my many duties. This planet is full of enemies, after all."

"I appreciate your concern, then. I toast for you, Screamer!" Skywarp cheered as he lifted his cube and drank half of it in a single sip.

Starscream ignored his wingmate's ironic comment and got up from his chair. He walked toward the energon dispenser to fill another cube. The most recent energy raids had been successful and the Decepticons were currently not having scarcity issues. And Starscream was definitely someone who didn't have problems with excesses.

"Why didn't you bring down that human aircraft?" he sharply asked as refined pink fuel started to enter his cube.

Skywarp wasn't surprised by the question; he was waiting for it. Starscream seemed to enjoy his little games.

"It wasn't a military plane," the black Seeker replied, shrugging his shoulders. "There were no probabilities of combat whatsoever."

"But you love easy victories," Starscream continued, increasing the level of malice in his voice. "And is there something easier than shooting down a pathetic human plane?"

"I would've uselessly wasted ammo on that junk pile… Where's the fun in that?"

"Ah, Skywarp… that's not you talking. Those words are more the kind your best friend would say."

"I say it again: you tell me. If you sent your spy probe you must have listened to at least a part of our conversation."

"Not this time, I have to admit it," Starscream said as he approached Skywarp's table. "I speak only following simple logic… and experience, of course. Suspicions increase when certain events and behaviors justify them, don't you agree?"

Skywarp didn't reply and tried to hide his face inside his energon cube, downing its contents with a single sip. The conversation had taken a very uncomfortable twist and he suddenly felt the need to leave, but Starscream had arrived at his table and was blocking the way out. Teleporting was always an option, but he didn't want to give the impression that he was running away. He didn't have any reason to do it, after all.

"Where is Thundercracker?" the red and white Seeker asked.

"In his quarters, I guess… Why should I know?"

Starscream smirked. "Do I detect rancour, Skywarp? What happened between you two? Problems in paradise?"

"Yeah, the usual: having to stare at your hateful face is always a problem. And did I mention that your slag pitched voice drills my audio sensors?"

Starscream shook his head. "Skywarp, Skywarp, Skywarp… You are so transparent when you are trying not to be. Pathetic, actually… But I will prevent you from embarrassing yourself by telling you exactly what happened: you wanted to shoot down that plane, you were _dying _to shoot it down, but Thundercracker opposed. Am I mistaken?"

"Yes, you are."

"What did he tell you?" Starscream continued, ignoring his subordinate's answer. "That it was murder? That it was a simple passenger plane, filled with human civilians? That it was… _morally incorrect_?"

"I think you drank too much energon… I wasn't aware our dispenser served high grade," Skywarp somberly replied, avoiding his Air Commander's optics.

"I'll tell you what I think: I think you are making a terrible mistake by defending someone that doesn't deserve it. What Thundercracker did today was to step on your natural Decepticon instincts. It is your legitimate right to bring down one or a thousand human aircrafts if you feel like it. This planet is ours to conquer, and we can do whatever we please with it and its inhabitants."

"Gee… I deeply thank you for reminding me of my rights, Screamer, but you're wasting your words for nothing. As always, you let your paranoia guide you."

"And you insist on holding on to your blindness. You have always felt proud of being so loyal, but it wouldn't harm you to take a realistic look around you. Your precious loyalty is nothing more than childish naïveté."

Skywarp placed both of his hands on the table as firmly as he could, making clear his impatience, and stood up, facing his wingmate.

"I have never been good at reading between lines, so why don't you go to straight to the point, Starscream? You talk too much about our rights as warriors… Well, then I demand you speak clear, like a real Decepticon! Personally, I consider subtlety a matter of cowards."

"Your problem is that you confuse intelligence with cowardice… but we are not talking about that now. Do you want me to speak clear, then? Alright, then I will please you. I always thought Thundercracker was the weak link of our trine. Now I am convinced."

Skywarp stared at Starscream with a blank expression on his face for some astro seconds. Finally, he burst into laughter.

"Is that all? You certainly love to make an entrance for nothing! Besides, you contradict yourself. You have always said _I _am the weak link."

"Your reckless behavior and your immaturity limit your potential, but I'm talking about something far more serious. It's not Thundercracker's performance what worries me, but his convictions."

"TC's loyalty is in the right place, Starscream!"

"That's what I used to think too."

Skywarp lifted his arms, unconsciously asking for order. "Wait, wait… are you saying you don't trust him because of what happened on Cybertron? But you were the only one who didn't react to all that madness about his origins…"

"Unlike you and the rest of our idiotic comrades, our dear leader included of course, I am one who analyzes a situation before emitting a judgment."

"And this is your conclusion? Saying you don't trust in TC just because he was created by an Autobot, and vorns before the war started, by the way? Slag, Screamer… I always thought you were a little bit more intelligent than that, you know?"

"Believe me, you fool, if I had already made a decision we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. The truth is that I don't give a slag about Thundercracker's origins. He could have been created by a Sharkticon as far as I am concerned, but I can't pretend that I didn't notice the changes in his behavior after he and you returned from Cybertron."

"Changes?"

"Oh, please! You are his friend, the only one he has left after such discovery, actually. You are not going to tell me you haven't noticed anything. Don't play the fool with me."

"If you say that because of what happened today… TC would have opposed shooting down that plane, anyway… he's not like the rest of us."

"Exactly! He is different, _very_ different… and I must admit I was a fool not to give importance to such difference before. I always took for granted that his unusual behavior patterns were due to his boring personality, but obviously I was wrong."

"Careful, Starscream… TC is different from us indeed. So what? If you are hinting he could turn against us, you've completely blown a gasket."

Starscream turned his back to his wingmate and retired a couple of steps, folding his arms across his chest.

"Potential, Skywarp…" he said with strangely low pitched voice. "Potential is the key word here… _Potential traitor_ doesn't sound good, now does it?"

"Swallow Pit, Screamer! Why don't you go and molest your own afterburners for a change?" Skywarp spat, making good use of the free space left by Starscream and starting to walk toward the exit.

A hand firmly grabbed his arm, preventing him from advancing even one step more.

"If you don't want to leave this place without your hand, you better let me go, Screamer."

Starscream ignored the threat. Very few times had Skywarp felt so uncomfortable in his presence.

"Keep an optic on him."

"Is that an order?" Skywarp asked as he struggled to release his arm, but Starscream didn't let go.

"It's a friendly suggestion. Think about it, Skywarp. Do you really want to put your trust in a fake Decepticon? He was created by an accursed Autobot! No matter how much he tries to deny it, he still has the weak honour code of our enemies embedded in his programming. Any hesitation from his part, any doubt, any moment of absurd morality such as the one he had earlier… can cost you your life."

Skywarp stopped struggling with Starscream.

"Watch him," Starscream insisted. "If you see something suspicious, report it to me immediately. For now, I'll keep all this between us."

"You are insane…" Skywarp muttered. "Totally insane… I'm not going to spy on my best friend… no fragging way… and even less for you."

Starscream smirked. "One of these days you will understand what I'm trying to tell you. And when that happens, you will know that your only option will be to ask for my help. Just pray that when that moment comes, it won't be too late."

"Oh, really? Well… you can wait for me sitting on your aft. There's no problem with TC, no problem at all. The only… _potential _danger here is your eternal paranoia."

Skywarp freed his arm with a firm movement. This time Starscream allowed him to.

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Heavy and slow steps guided Thundercracker toward his personal quarters. He had no hurry in walking the same bare corridors that he had walked so many times before. He tried to dissimulate it with his controlled temper, but the truth was that he had very little tolerance toward monotony.

He wasn't surprised when he saw the Autobot insignia recently painted outside his door, but his optics narrowed with anger when he noticed the new addition. Under the infamous insignia, Optimus Prime's favorite phrase, _Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, _had been added with awkwardly written Cybertronian characters.

A drop of red paint fell to the floor, joining the small puddle that was taking shape.

Fresh paint.

Suffocated guffaws confirmed the perpetrators were still at very close range.

Thundercracker turned from complete immobility to frenetic acceleration in less than an astro second. Making use of a speed he rarely used when he was on land, he ran toward the end of the corridor. When he turned in the corner he stretched his arm out and managed to grab something. Living metal creaked under his ferocious contact. A small neck began to deform, unable to resist the pressure.

"Let me go!!" Frenzy cried. "You are hurting me!!"

Thundercracker lifted the Cassetticon and crashed him against the wall, never releasing his grip on his neck. Immediately he felt something jumping at him but he rejected it with a violent punch.

Rumble fell on his back on the floor, but wasted no time in getting up again. His arms transformed into his powerful pile drivers, ready to cause damage.

"I would think about it twice, Rumble," Thundercracker said. "Do you think Megatron will take it with humour if you destroy an entire wing of the Nemesis? I don't think so."

Rumble hesitated. "Erm… it would be your fault! We were only joking!"

"A joke is something you do once, perhaps twice, not ten times in a row!" was the furious reply.

"You fragged junk eater Autobot…!"

Rumble couldn't finish his insult. Thundercracker threw Frenzy like if he were a toy, making him collapse with his twin in a mixture of red and blue pain.

"I'm not an Autobot, slag it!! Don't you ever call me that again, do you understand?!" Thundercracker roared. "And if you want to keep your filthy sparks in their places, you'd be wise leaving me alone!"

Both Cassetticons stared at the irate Seeker with infinite astonishment. Thundercracker had always been a calm and cold soldier; seeing him in such excited state was completely unbelievable. It was normal for them to have confrontations with Skywarp, but with Thundercracker… Many times, in fact, the blue Seeker had defended them from the sadistic sense of humour of his wingmate.

"It was a joke…" Frenzy pleaded as he grabbed his sore neck. "Can't you take a simple joke…?"

"You two runts will erase what you draw outside my door, and you will do it right now! And I don't need to say I don't want to see another one of those things outside my quarters, do I?"

Rumble got on his feet, trying to hide his fear with his usual bully personality.

"Are you threatening us, TC?"

"Threats are not part of my programming, Rumble; actions are. And I assure you that if you dwarves mess with me again, there will be no safe place for you two in this Universe, no matter if Soundwave or Primus himself protects you. Got it?"

Rumble didn't reply. As always, his processor could only center on one thought at a time, and in that moment it was too clear: he didn't want to have Thundercracker as an enemy.

He grabbed Frenzy's arm, who continued rubbing his neck, and dragged him toward the bright Autobot insignia outside the Seeker's door.

Before they went out of his audio range, Thundercracker could hear them discussing the kind of solvents they would use to destroy their work of art.

_To be continued._

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_Thanks so much for all your comments! I am really touched by all your reviews. They arrived during a difficult moment for me, so double thanks to you all for bringing very welcome smiles._

_I'm glad you are enjoying this story so far, and I have the feeling you will enjoy what will happen later. Update coming soon!_


	3. Steelcrank’s ghost

_In the prequel of this story, "Purple rain", Thundercracker wasn't created with such name. It was only until he became a Decepticon when he decided to change his denomination, putting an end to the mech he had been before. Steelcrank was his original name and, even when he thought he would never hear it again, the name is returning to haunt hi__m along with some other ghosts._

_I want to deeply thank iratepirate for all her support and the priceless treasure of her friendship. The betaining of this chapter was her doing. Thanks sis!_

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**Chapter 3**

**Steelcrank's ghost**

Dazzling lights welcomed Starscream as soon as the door hissed open before him, making him adjust his optic sensors to the irregular light conditions of the laboratory.

"Disrespecting science again, leader?" he asked, exhibiting his best smirk. "I thought that you already understood that you and electromagnetic energy are not a good combination."

Megatron ignored his Second in Command, internally cursing his arrival, and increased the intensity of the magnetic field he was creating.

"Wait, I know!" Starscream happily continued, walking toward his Commander. "You miss your little pet Kremzeek, and you can't wait to create another one, can you? How touching! Do you need some help? I would like to make sure that this time you _don't _create something able to destroy all of our electrical equipment."

Megatron stopped the experiment and faced his lieutenant; annoyance was more than clear on his facial features.

"Is there any reason for your presence here, Starscream, or are you only trying to ruin my day?"

"A little of both, actually… The truth is that I have a favour to ask you, Megatron."

"The answer is no."

"Ah, that was fast… The favour is not for me, though. As always, I only think about the supreme glory of our Empire."

Megatron leaned his back on the console of the computer and folded his arms across his chest. His impatience was increasing.

"What is it about? Decorating the Command Center with your head? I admit I'm interested. Perhaps it could help to boost the morale of my warriors."

"I don't doubt it, mighty leader, but as much as I would like to please you, I must admit that I like my head where it currently is."

"If that is the case, then you'd do better than making me waste my time so miserably. I am about to make you exit this laboratory in more than one piece, so get to the point. What do you want?"

Starscream smirked. Megatron was in a bad mood, that was nothing strange, but that precisely could work in his favour.

"Just to ask you to give me total control of our next energy raid."

"If you would bother keeping a register of my orders as any other fairly good Sub-commander would do, you would know that I have no energy raids planned for the next few solar cycles."

"I know, that's why I request you allow me to schedule one for tonight."

"What would the purpose be?" Megatron asked, narrowing his optics in suspicion.

"I just want to practice combat maneuvers with my wingmates. They are becoming lazy and disordered. I have noticed a considerable decline in their performance."

"Which is natural, considering they have such a mediocre Air Commander."

Starscream ignored Megatron's comment, although he tacitly dedicated to him a colorful mixture of Cybertronian insults. "Training is not enough. I need a real mission, something to challenge their numbed instincts. And I have the perfect location for that."

Starscream activated a mechanism on his wrist and the detailed hologram of a map was projected.

"A hydro-electric power station…" Megatron said as he examined the hologram. "It doesn't have impressive energy readings, though. It doesn't even appear in the database Soundwave created to list the richest power plants on this planet."

"True, its production is quite ordinary, but its location called strongly to my attention. Look, there is a military base relatively close."

"Are you expecting to engage in combat with humans? How useless. What could you gain from fighting insects?"

"I expect to obtain a lot, actually. I have detected a failure in the inner functioning of my trine and I want to correct it before it causes serious consequences."

"Failure? Besides your leadership, you mean?"

"I'm talking seriously, Megatron!"

"So am I, you fool. You are talking about wasting the abilities of my Seekers on some foolish attack, biggest achievement of which will be crushing some puny humans. Explain to me the logic of such a plan."

"If I succeed in proving the failure in my trine, believe me, such waste will be worth it."

Megatron stayed in silence for some astro seconds, fixating on his Second in Command one of his most threatening glances.

"You always have a second intention, Starscream," he spoke again. "If you want me to even consider your stupid suggestion, you better start talking now! My offer to make you exit this laboratory in more than one piece is completely serious."

"Slag it, Megatron! Why do you always have to be so distrustful? It's my duty as Air Commander to keep the Aerial Elite organized and lethal. We are, in the end, the support of the entire Decepticon army. One single weak element can cause a fracture that can affect the rest of the group."

"That's true, and I know it perfectly well. I have kept you too long as Second in Command."

"I repeat to you, I'm not joking!"

"Fine. So you think Thundercracker can be the one to cause your paranoid fracture in the functioning of my Seekers?"

"If you knew what I was talking about, why did you make me waste my time explaining it to you?!"

"It certainly wasn't to hurt my audio sensors with your harmonic voice. You already had wasted enough of my time; I thought it would be prudent to return you the favour."

"You are so kind…"

"But enough empty talk. It's amazing how, despite the fact that I am so familiarized with your stupidities, you always find the way to surprise me. I never thought you'd let prejudices influence you so easily."

"That's easy for you to say, Megatron! It's not you who has to fly beside a potential traitor all the time…"

Starscream interrupted himself, noticing too late the hit he just inflicted on himself. Megatron's ironic expression emphasized the awkwardness of the moment.

"Alright, alright…" the Seeker continued. "You can say whatever you want about me, Megatron, but you know that I would never betray the Decepticon cause. Thundercracker's origins, on the contrary, put him unavoidably on the line."

"If you would leave your immaturity aside for once and placed your small amount of intelligence in the right place, perhaps you would be a good warrior, Starscream. If you think that a soldier has to believe in the cause he fights for, there is no wonder why all your aspirations of greatness have failed so miserably. Ingeniousness and ambition can't exist together; your case is a ridiculous exception. Only fools and the ignorant allow gossips to guide them."

"I'm not guided by any gossip! I have flown beside Thundercracker for thousands of vorns. If there is anybody aware of his personality flaws, that mech is me."

"And why didn't you mention this before, then? Distrust it the best companion any warrior can have, but when it turns into childish paranoia such as yours, it becomes dangerous. Personally, I highly enjoy watching you being corroded by insanity, but in this case I will make an exception because I'm already sick and tired of listening to you. I'm not that naïve as not to give importance to Thundercracker's background. As a matter of fact, I keep him under constant surveillance."

"And your conclusion is…?"

"Listening to gossips is not worthy of my position. It's true that Thundercracker is not a passionate warrior or a loyal follower of the Decepticon cause; he never has been. But he's an efficient soldier and has never given any signal of disobedience, even less treason. Whatever goes through his processor lacks of importance to me as long as he continues to obey my orders."

"Still, you underestimate the damage an uncomfortable element like him can cause to the general morale, Megatron."

"It's good for my warriors to give vent to their differences with some violence. We are Decepticons, not weakling Autobots that solve their problems with sentimental words."

Starscream frowned. He definitely wasn't convinced, but it seemed that Megatron's words had given him something else to think about.

"I have to insist, Megatron… I admit many of my actions haven't pleased you in the past, but following my instincts has also saved us from major catastrophes, you can't deny it. Let me handle this. If I'm mistaken, you will have a new reason to mock me. But if I'm right… it's impossible to calculate the benefits I can give to the Decepticon Empire in terms of discipline."

Megatron also considered Starscream's words. It was true that the Seeker's hateful instincts had avoided painful defeats against the Autobots, although he would never openly admit it.

"Let's suppose I authorize you to execute your stupid plan. What do you expect to obtain, Starscream? You never do anything unless you gain something in return."

"All I want is to expose a dysfunctional element and correct him if I consider it proper."

"Fine. Put your small circus together. But you will report absolutely everything that happens to me. I expect a full report by the end of this solar cycle. I will be the one to decide if Thundercracker is qualified to continue in his post or not, do you understand? Don't take decisions that don't concern you or you will regret it."

"As you command," Starscream said, making a forced military salute before starting to walk toward the door.

"Starscream."

The Seeker stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Wasn't there a civilian zone close to the hydro-electric power station you showed me?" the Decepticon leader asked.

"Yes."

Megatron smirked. "Excellent. I trust you will fully exploit the advantages of the location."

Starscream mirrored his leader's smirk; it was one of those rare moments in which they completely agreed on something.

"You can be sure I will, Megatron."

---------------

Thundercracker sat on his recharge berth. He was exhausted, but for some reason he didn't feel able to shut down his systems to enter the relaxed world of unconsciousness.

A small alarm inside his processor reminded him that he hadn't refueled. His energon levels were not yet critical, but he had spent more than the half of his fuel tanks during his practice session with Skywarp.

But he wasn't hungry. He felt strange, uncomfortable… He had barely entered his personal quarters and he was already feeling claustrophobia suffocating him.

He tried to attribute his bad mood to the altercation he had just had with Rumble and Frenzy, but he knew the twins' joke was really too insignificant to actually alter him. He was very difficult to annoy due to thousands of vorns of cold and calculating temper.

Why, then, was he feeling so suddenly vulnerable?

As it had started to happen since his return from Cybertron, Thundercracker's thoughts focused again on his deceased creator. Even though the ancient wounds had been forgiven, the Seeker couldn't help feeling that every one of his actions was observed, judged… Not even in the intimacy of his own thoughts he felt safe. He was lonelier than ever and yet he felt exposed before a perpetual spotlight. Was it possible to feel so isolated and at the same time cornered by countless pair of optics, his own between them?

Perhaps he was going insane.

Sick of his own company, Thundercracker decided there would be no rest for him that solar cycle. He got up from his recharge berth and exited his quarters.

There was a reddish stain outside his door, but the infamous Autobot insignia had disappeared; the same insignia his creator had carried for so many milleniums, the same insignia he had sworn to fight till death… the same insignia he would have carried himself if things had perhaps been just slightly different.

It was so strange the way the Universe worked; sometimes it seemed like an immense cosmic joke. At the end, all individuals were the result of the environment in which they had maturated and of the events that they were forced to face during their lives. How did independence fit in such equation? How different would Thundercracker's life have been if he had resisted his juvenile hunger for freedom, if he had tried to understand the ancient political order of Cybertron instead of questioning it with weapons instead of words?

What kind of Cybertronian would he have been if he hadn't turned his back on his creator's teachings?

The answer was disturbing: he would be fighting against his current comrades in arms. Besides, perhaps, his creator would still be alive…

The endless corridors of the Nemesis received his tormented thoughts as he walked by. At least there was nobody close and, thus, no comments behind his back, no distrustful glances shot in his direction…

Maybe he had reached the border of the abyss and circumstances were forcing him to make a definitive decision: trying to keep his individuality despite being considered a pariah, or completely giving up to the common behavior and turning to violence to respond to anything that didn't satisfy him. That was the Decepticon way.

He always had considered himself different from the others. But perhaps he had been wrong; perhaps he was even worse, a hypocrite…

He directed his steps toward the Refuel Unit used only by Seekers. He needed to fill his tanks if he wanted to fly; in that moment, the sky seemed the only place he could tolerate. He had to clear his thoughts once and for all or insanity would win the battle.

Strong laughter and the sound of punches coming from the end of the corridor made him realize his loneliness would be interrupted.

"Come on!" Brawl shouted as he kicked a fallen Reflector. "Divide your pathetic self in three! Challenge us a little!"

The small blue Decepticon protected his face with his hands.

"Please!" he begged. "I swear I wasn't spying on you!"

Vortex grabbed Reflector by the neck, picking him up as if he were a toy. "Sure, scraplet. It was just a misfortunate coincidence that you saw us stealing energon from the Main Storage Unit, wasn't it?"

"I… I didn't…"

"Guys, guys…" Swindle intervened. "I'm sure Reflector didn't have any intention to spy on us, right? However, for the sake of our team I have to make sure… You understand it, don't you Reflector? Onslaught would never forgive us if we let you go with images that may put us in a hazardous position."

"W-what… are you going to do…?"

Brawl and Vortex grabbed Reflector's arms and forced him to get on his knees and bow his head.

Swindle approached, exhibiting his most malicious smirk. "Oh, nothing really, relax. I'm just going to open your cranial plates and take a quick look at your processor. It won't be _that _painful… I guess. With a little luck, perhaps you will survive the procedure."

"NO! Please don't!"

"Ssssh… stop screaming. I don't want you to ruin those valuable lenses of yours. They can reach a high price on the underground markets."

The only result Reflector's pleas achieved was to increase the guffaws of the three Combaticons.

From Swindle's wrist, emerged a small but sharp circular saw that started to rotate dangerously. It seemed that the Combaticon Jeep was very used to performing as a sadistic surgeon.

"Enough!"

The powerful voice made the saw stop its deadly revolutions. Torturers and tortured glanced toward the place in which Thundercracker stood, watching with indignation the scene before him.

He had spoken without thinking, even surprising himself. He was very used to that kind of scene. Tormenting the small and the weak was a common practice within the Decepticon ranks. It wasn't considered cruelty, but confirmation of the 'survival of the fittest' law. However, Thundercracker had always considered such habit an unnecessary display of savagery.

But still, he knew he should have ignored what was happening and continued his way. Sometimes he had defended Reflector from the common abuse, but generally he preferred to not get in the way of others' amusement, even though it meant the suffering of the minorities.

Why was that moment different? Why had he felt the _need _to stop the attack?

"Well, well, well," Brawl said disdainfully. "The Autobot coming to the rescue."

"Did you lose something, Thundercracker?" Vortex asked. "Or you just couldn't repress your heroic Autobot instincts?"

"Yeah," Swindle seconded. "Why don't you get the frag out of here and check if you have some other lost creator out ther…?"

A powerful shockwave shook the narrow corridor. Swindle fell to his knees, as Vortex and Brawl released Reflector who also hit the floor shaken by the sonic boom Thundercracker had just emitted.

The Seeker approached the group and, kicking Swindle away as if he were a pile of scraps, grabbed Reflector and forced him to stand on his two shivering legs.

"Leave," Thundercracker dryly said.

Despite the fact that he was still too confused, the small Decepticon didn't wait for Thundercracker to repeat the order and hurried to run as fast as he could, relieved that he would keep his precious lenses, not to mention his life.

Reflector was still in sight when Thundercracker felt something sharp impacting his shoulder. Vortex had recovered his balance enough to use one of his helixes to attack the Seeker.

"You made a mistake, hero! If you wanted to take Reflector's place so much, all you had to was ask, you loathsome Autobo…"

Vortex couldn't finish talking. The sharp edge of Thundercracker's right wing attacked his face. Metal sliced metal with surgical precision, making the Combaticon retreat by instinct. The cut separated his face mask in two, exposing his real features. Thundercracker welcomed that face he had never seen before with a brutal punch.

Immediately, Brawl shot his rival with his electrogun, but Thundercracker grabbed Swindle, who was still too confused as a result of the sonic boom, and used him as a shield. The Combaticon Jeep received the point-blank shot in his chest, which caused him an instant general failure of his systems.

Thundercracker threw Swindle against Brawl, making them both fall to the floor, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid Vortex's fist charging his face and crashing him violently against the wall. Still bewildered by the hit, Thundercracker felt something exploding at his sides, cementing him to the wall. He tried to free himself but there was no use; the adhesive-filled capsules of Vortex's glue gun had stuck him to the metal wall behind his back like a powerful magnet.

"Mistake number two, _Thundercraphead_, and the last one!" Vortex cried, rubbing the slightly smoking reddish line on his uncovered face.

"Swindle's entered stasis mode. The damage of my shot almost perforated his spark chamber," Brawl said as he got up and placed himself beside Vortex.

"Time to avenge him, then. Let's execute this slagger."

"With pleasure."

Both Combaticons' weapons shone as a prelude of death. Thundercracker hurried to prepare a high magnitude sonic boom, the only thing that could separate him from termination.

But salvation arrived from a very unexpected place. Something impacted Brawl and Vortex on their backs, making them fall in a relentless symphony of convulsions.

Thundercracker didn't have to look at his saviour to know his identity. Only one Transformer used null rays. They were his creation, after all.

"I had the situation perfectly under control," the blue Seeker coldly said.

"Yes, I noticed," Starscream ironically retorted as he began to shoot light laser beams to melt the adhesive at Thundercracker's sides.

"What are you doing here, Starscream? It's not your style to help your wingmates unless you obtain something in return."

"As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have cared if you became a permanent decoration on the wall, but I need you in functional state."

"What for?"

"The mission, you dolt. If you haven't refueled yet, do it immediately. I want you on the launching platform in less than two breems."

"What mission?"

"The details are in the report I sent at 1317 terrestrial hours."

"I didn't receive any report."

"All Seekers did."

"Well, I didn't," Thundercracker insisted as he freed himself completely from the adhesive with a violent yank.

"As I said, Thundercracker, _all_ Seekers did."

The double sense of Starscream's words was as evident as it was hurtful. Thundercracker clenched his fists, feeling his fury increasing again.

"What the slag are you insinuating?!"

"Refuel immediately, and don't make me waste more time! If this mission is delayed, I will make sure to report that you were the only responsible," Starscream continued, ignoring his subordinate's anger.

"What is the mission about?"

"You will know when we get there," Starscream said as he started to walk toward the launching platform, disappearing through the corridor.

_To be continued._

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_And to be continued soon indeed. I have next chaper almost done, so expect it really pronto. I also have a couple of my fics that I haven't updated lately, but I intend to do something on the matter. _

_Thank you very much for all your reviews. I'm very glad you are enjoying this story, and I hope you will like the continuation of the journey Thundercracker is just beginning._


	4. My own private Iacon

_Many hugs and a big Cybertronian cake to iratepirate, a wonderful friend and my beta reader. What can we do when a dearest friend is celebrating her birthday so many mil__es away from you? Exactly! Use the Space Bridge :o)_

_I also want to thank Fire Redhead for throwing me an important hint for the contents of this chapter. Way to go, Lady Succubot!_

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**Chapter 4**

**My own private Iacon**

A perfect triangle challenged the terrestrial sky, keeping its impressive symmetry as it surpassed more than three times the speed of sound.

Six Cybertronian Seekers were flying like one, forming the sides and angles of that impeccable geometric figure that had already claimed planet Earth's sky as its territory.

Starscream led the group, closely followed by Skywarp at his left and Thundercracker at his right. The triangle was completed by Dirge, Thrust and Ramjet. The perfect aerial formation exhibited the thoroughness and order that only a robotic intelligence could reach, but not even those advanced machines were free from being guided by independent feelings. They were sentient beings after all.

As every time he led a mission, Starscream was completely focused on his objective. Despite his passionate and voluble personality, the Decepticon Air Commander was very capable of becoming a cold killing machine when he wanted to, although when problems arose he lost control.

Skywarp, also following a habit, denoted emotion with every roar of his engines. The proximity of a battle, no matter if his enemies were Autobots or organic creatures, managed to center his distracted and superficial temperament on one main objective: destroy the enemy. Despite the vain opinion that most of his comrades had of him, it was during combat missions when Skywarp showed as one of the most loyal and lethal Decepticons ever created.

As for the Coneheads, they shared a common goal that surpassed the differences of their personalities. Pride and ambition united them more than the fact that they had been assembled together. They were an important part of the Aerial Elite of the Decepticon Army, but they hadn't managed to overcome Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker in being the most efficient and deadliest trine of Seekers of modern Cybertronian history. Patient and yet with their egos hurt, Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust knew their moment would come. They would make it happen.

If a telepath had had access to the processors of the six fliers that plowed through the skies at supersonic speed, said mind-reader would have been amazed by the Seekers' ability to keep their perfect aerial formation despite being assaulted by radically different thoughts. Combat machines, but individuals at the end.

Thundercracker wasn't the exception. Nothing in the way he was flying suggested the inner storm he was currently suffering.

For the first time since he had memory, the sky wasn't a liberator, but an open field for anguish.

But no, it wasn't the first time. It had happened before. Many times he had returned to his respective military base with his weapons almost empty and his armor soiled with the vital fluids of others, knowing he had to feel satisfied because he was fighting for a fair cause, but internally feeling empty, dirty…

He had learned to live with that, nevertheless; to accept the fact that every time he returned from a battle something of himself was left behind, lying among all those corpses of allies and enemies that would never feel ever again.

In the beginning he had thought that it was the unavoidable rotation of justice that kept him functioning, but soon he learned that no such thing as justice existed on the battlefield. What mattered was skill, strength, pure luck… If he wanted to be the one who returned instead of the one in shattered pieces, he had to leave behind as many enemies as he could… his victims.

It was strange that all those thoughts, hidden for countless vorns but always on the edge of torturing him, were coming back precisely on that flat planet that had nothing to do with Cybertron.

Maybe the reason was because on Cybertron he had fought as a liberator, whilst on Earth he was doing it as a conqueror.

But he wasn't that naïve as to accept such sharp division. Adjectives didn't matter when fighting for the Decepticon cause, no matter what side of the ethics line he landed on. The cause was first. It had to be… always.

Thundercracker discreetly opened the private channel he shared with Skywarp.

"_What's this all about, Warp?" _he asked. _"I heard Thrust saying it was a simple energy raid…"_

"_Then that's what it must be."_

"_Still, this is strange… Why are we attacking at night, when energy stations function at their minimum capacity? How much energon can we obtain under such conditions? Ten cubes?"_

"_I don't know any more than you, TC. All that Screamer's report said was the hour of departure."_

"_Don't you find it strange that only Seekers were included in this mission?"_

"_Perhaps Screamer wants to practice some kind of maneuver… I don't know."_

Thundercracker ended the communication. He hadn't expected to obtain any useful information from Skywarp, but somehow he had felt the need to exchange empty talk with his best friend in order to minimize the loneliness he was currently feeling.

He hadn't succeeded, of course.

His com link activated again.

"_TC?" _he heard Skywarp asking.

"_What?"_

Static showed Skywarp's hesitation about continuing to speak or not. Thundercracker knew he needed some pressure.

"_What is it, Warp?"_

"_Huh… you are alright, aren't you?"_

"_Alright? What are you talking about?"_

Nothing but static reigned in the frequency again.

Thundercracker sighed. _"Listen, if this is because of what happened with that human plane…"_

"_Screamer said slag and a half about you. He's wrong, right?"_

"_What did he say? That I am a coward? A traitor?"_

"_Not exactly, but…"_

"_I'm really surprised that you even considered his words."_

More static accented the uncomfortable moment between both Seekers, but they had no time to try and find out how big the distance just established between them really was. Their private frequency was invaded by the raspy voice of Starscream.

"_Target in sight! Prepare for battle!"_

Thundercracker adjusted his radars. There was a military base right ahead, very close to the power station. The plan wasn't completely illogical, but the lack of a real objective continued to be evident. Was that a practice session? Was Starscream trying to test a new combat formation?

"_Thundercracker, make them crawl out of their hole!" _Starscream ordered.

"_I don't think that will be necessary," _the blue Seeker responded. His words were confirmed by the sound of alarms and the sight of hundreds of soldiers preparing their aerial defenses and their combat jets.

"_Are you here to think or to obey?"_

Thundercracker silently cursed Starscream, but hurried to follow his command. He placed himself at the front of the group and prepared to unleash a sonic boom.

"_Prepare to execute containment maneuver four-eight!" _he yelled. _"Shut down audio sensors now!"_

As one, the five Seekers behind Thundercracker deafened themselves momentarily. However, they could feel the powerful vibrations of the blue jet's special ability shaking the human military base.

As soon as he finished his sound attack, Thundercracker returned to his original place in the formation. His wingmates activated their audio sensors again as they flew over the shaken target.

"_Maintain triangle formation! Fire on my command!" _Starscream yelled as he gained altitude, momentarily flying away from the military base.

Under a normal combat situation, the protocol dictated that they attack immediately, but it seemed that Starscream had no hurry. He was toying with those humans.

Following their Air Commander, the group of Seekers fixed their course again on the target, ready to begin the carnage as soon as Starscream gave the order.

Thundercracker could barely avoid deviating from his course through pure revulsion when he saw the damages his sonic boom had left. He had unleashed a mild attack, just something to make the humans come out, but it seemed that he had overestimated the resistance of those fragile flesh creatures and their inferior technology.

The ground was all cracked, some terrestrial vehicles were overturned or on fire, dozens of humans ran erratically, preparing to defend themselves and helping others that were scattered all over the base, some of them motionless… Thundercracker hated himself.

"_FIRE!"_

Starscream's command was immediately obeyed. It took only one discharge from the six Decepticons to finish destroying the big esplanade beneath, at the same time colouring the night with the deadly shade of fire.

"_Let's destroy the hangars!" _Thrust cried, aiming toward the eight big domes that were still standing amongst the destroyed field.

"_Not yet," _Starscream said. _"Dirge, stay with me; we will allow the human insects to climb into their puny planes and come out to play. Skywarp, you and Thrust go to the hydro-electric power station and extract as much energy as you can. Thundercracker and Ramjet, there is a civil area at quadrant eleven-seventeen. Destroy it."_

"_With pleasure!" _Ramjet happily cried, looking forward to crashing into and destroying everything he could.

Thundercracker followed the white Conehead, unconsciously decreasing his speed. He was used to following orders and never questioning them. He was also used to keeping to himself and ignoring the onslaughts of his conscience every time he shot his weapons against a rival unable to fight with him in equal circumstances.

But at that moment he was also fighting the uncomfortable urge to disobey. But a soldier had to follow orders, that was his duty… even though he was sent to massacre innocent civilians.

"_I don't want a single edifice standing or a single survivor left. Do you understand, Thundercracker?"_

Thundercracker's engines roared with suffocated fury. Why had Starscream addressed him in particular? Why the charade?

Ramjet gained speed and crashed against a small building, immediately collapsing it in countless pieces. There were no soldiers inside, no weapons, no military targets… only victims.

As Ramjet started to shoot the dwellings on the streets, the past showed itself bare naked before Thundercracker. Iacon… forty thousand vorns ago. It came back to his memory banks with all the strength of a repressed memento, the one that had stayed to torture him forever because it had been the first.

It had been a fast attack, Megatron's first signal of fury, the beginning of the new age of peace and justice that would make the ancient Cybertronian Council collapse…

But Thundercracker had found no justice. Assassinating civilians hadn't been a liberating action, but the beginning of his own slavery.

_Peace through tyranny, _Megatron had said. And he was right, he had to be right. Megatron had lived in oppression from the same moment of his creation; he knew what it was to be treated like a working tool for others to enrich themselves, he knew what it was to see his comrades die without the right to aspire to justice, he knew what it was to be condemned to be a third class citizen without any other hope than having a portion of energon to survive the journey, he knew what it was to be a machine…

Starting a revolution had been not only a fair action, but a logical one as well. It had been meant to give a name and an insignia to Megatron's battle cry. Hunger for freedom had run through the circuits of countless Cybertronian younglings that would die for such cause… that would _kill _for such cause.

A flash of purple light beside him took Thundercracker away from his journey to the past.

"Don't think, TC. Just do it," Skywarp said before teleporting again, leaving behind the destructive shine of his cannons and an entire street reduced to rubbish.

It had always been that way. Skywarp had always been his anchor with unreality, the convincing word that had helped him during all those moments in which his doubts had been close to taking him to something more than only disapproving of certain methods.

Thundercracker transformed into his robotic mode and glanced downward. Just a few astro seconds had been enough to convert that small human community into a hell. Just a few astro seconds had been enough to bring Iacon back.

He descended; his feet shook the already shattered street. There were several humans still running, screaming, dragging crying sparklings behind them… There were others that would never move again.

Pathetic creatures, obviously inferior… but they were also innocent.

_There is no such thing as innocence._

Once again, Megatron's words resounded in Thundercracker's memory banks. Once again, he tried to find within himself the conviction to believe in those words.

But what did it matter what he thought, at the end? Despite his beliefs, if he used his weapons against those organic beings he would be a killer, and a coward to make it worse.

The humans continued to run away from him, crying in terror, looking at him as they would have looked at a demon. They were so small and repulsive… it had to be natural to hate them.

But Thundercracker didn't hate them. His mouth twisted into a grimace of contempt directed toward himself when he lifted his incendiary gun missiles and aimed at a group of humans. He felt sorry for them… their deaths would be as unavoidable as they were useless.

"_Aerialbots approaching!" _Thrust radioed through the general frequency.

"_Just in time. There was not a single human jet left in the air. Prepare for battle!" _Starscream commanded.

Thundercracker lowered his weapons, relieved that he would fight real enemies, the kind that could fight back.

He was about to transform into his jet mode and fly toward his wingmates' location when Starscream's voice reverberated again in his com link.

"_Not you, Thundercracker. Stay at your post and terminate that human settlement."_

Thundercracker clenched his fists. He knew it was neither the place nor the moment, but the desire to impact his fists against his Air Commander's face had rarely been stronger. Everything was suddenly so clear that it seemed obscene. Thundercracker had been Starscream's wingmate for most of his life, but the slagger could still surprise him. His ethics functioned according to his own benefit, and nothing would stop him on his way to personal success. For Starscream, there was no difference if he killed one or a million humans just to test the loyalty of one of his subordinates. He simply lacked of any trace of mercy.

A close explosion returned Thundercracker back to Iacon. He couldn't think of two more opposite worlds than Earth and Cybertron, but in that moment they were amazingly alike. The dense smog curtains embracing the ghostly debris, the flames rising toward the dark sky, the broken organic bodies on the ground, some of them still moving… Blood or energon, the result was the same.

Thundercracker just couldn't understand the part of the equation in which all those innocent victims had to fit.

In the distance, the battle between his wingmates and the Aerialbots had started. Despite their youth and lack of real combat experience, the flying Autobots had proved to be worthy rivals. Thundercracker didn't hate them, but he battled them with all his strength because it was the right thing to do. They were powerful enemies and could fight back in equal circumstances. That's how war was supposed to be, a confrontation in which honour had to play the most important part.

But he certainly wouldn't find honour there, as he walked through the now empty streets with the mission to destroy everything that remained standing.

Something ricocheted on his knee joint. He looked downward and saw a small shine between the black fog and the flames coming from a shattered ground vehicle. A human with his face and clothes half burned was shooting him with a primitive gun. Small metallic bullets continued uselessly impacting the Decepticon's frame as the human yelled words that Thundercracker's memory banks failed to identify, certainly insults.

The Seeker frowned and aimed toward the irate human. It was a despicable little creature, that was certain… but once again the innocence of him and his race concerning the Cybertronian conflict challenged Thundercracker's ethics. Perhaps other Decepticons could find glory in vaporizing a being that didn't have the slightest chance of defending itself, but not him.

He fired. A burning hole opened very close to the human, scorching a portion of what little grass remained green, but didn't damage the creature. The strategy worked, though; the man hurried to run away, leaving his childish weapon behind.

Thundercracker adjusted his optics and proceeded to search for life signals amongst the debris. Some of the corpses beneath the destroyed dwellings still emanated small heat signals, perhaps barely functioning. It was a waste, as was every time new deaths enlarged the immense list of casualties of the Great Cybertronian War.

Some mechano miles away, the sounds of the rescue human services began to make themselves heard. It was admirable how those organic creatures risked their lives in order to try to save their comrades. It was an attitude that deserved to be respected.

And respect was something that Thundercracker wasn't currently feeling for himself. Despite the fact that he hadn't been directly responsible for the massacre before his optics, he knew his hands were as soiled as his wingmates'. As he continued to walk through the devastated streets, Thundercracker wondered about the difference between a warrior and a killer. Suddenly, the division lines were not clear anymore.

A slight movement caught his attention. A small heat signal at his left, a moan of pain… A young femme was dragging her injured body through the debris of what must have been her dwelling. Her clothes were torn in pieces, her hands covered with blood, her hair dirty with dust, her facial features deformed by anguish… But still, she was struggling to survive, to protect something that was more important than her own existence.

It was then when Thundercracker saw it. The shape of her body…

The femme was pregnant.

As every Cybertronian, Thundercracker had a basic knowledge of the reproductive cycle that most organic beings followed. Personally he considered such status exotic and repulsive, but in that moment he didn't see a simple animal fulfilling one of its life phases.

He saw a mother.

Sentient, rational, emotional… that human was trying to protect the unborn sparkling she was still carrying inside her body. She seemed not to feel the pain of her broken fingers or her non-functional legs. Apparently the desperation for saving her sparkling gave her additional strength.

Thundercracker frowned. What kind of instinct was guiding her? The affective bonds between organic beings and their offspring seemed to be as strong as the Cybetronians, perhaps even more…

He understood. He also had had a creator, someone who had given his life to protect him…

The battlefield was proving to be more intense inside of him, confronting his memories with his doubts. He had seen scenes like that in Iacon too; there too he had raised his weapons against innocents.

His arm had never felt so heavy, his weapons had never been so foreign… As he aimed towards the female human he tried to close his mind and consider her a mere target. He tried to find the coldness that was expected from him, the one that dictated he had to obey orders without second thoughts.

But it was so hard.

The only wall still left standing of what had been the femme's dwelling collapsed over her, sealing her fate and her sparkling's. In just a nano click, her life would only be a memory, all her efforts to survive useless…

Thundercracker didn't remember having ever moved so fast, not even in the moments in which such speed had saved his own life. In the eternal fraction of an astro second that followed the collapsing of the wall, many things changed, the heaviness of his arm being the most important one.

Also, his weapons had changed their status, now dangling from his arms, beginning to cool down.

Thundercracker found himself with one knee on the ground, very close to the human femme. Bathing her, as a protective angel, was the shadow of his hands.

Everything was so disturbing. He was used to following Skywarp's advice _–Don't think. Just do it, - _and somehow he had managed to succeed in fooling his conscience. And now he had done the same thing, acted without thinking, but this time his actions had taken him in a radically opposite direction.

He slowly retired his hands, still unable to believe what he just had done.

The female wasn't moving anymore. Had she stopped functioning?

Thundercracker didn't dare to move. What was he supposed to do now? For some reason he wanted her to live, as the sparkling inside of her…

A sound behind him made him look frantically over his shoulder. What he saw made him hate himself, suddenly remembering that he should never forget that he had a radar.

The Autobot First Aid was standing just some mechano meters away from him.

Thundercracker wondered how much the Protectobot had seen of his moment of weakness, but the answer was too obvious. First Aid had no weapon aimed against him, not even on his face could any kind of hostile intentions be read…

Thundercracker fought the instinct of shooting his enemy. He knew First Aid was the most pacifistic among the Autobots, the one that always avoided confrontations and focused his efforts on saving lives, no matter if they were artificial or organic. If there was somebody that could do something to preserve the life of the pregnant female, it was him.

"Can you save her?" Thundercracker asked before he could realize what he was saying.

First Aid didn't answer immediately, still too shocked by the scene before his optics, but approached and scanned the motionless human. Thundercracker got up and retreated a couple of steps.

"Her life signs are weak, but perhaps if…"

The com link that Thundercracker had on his wrist cracked to life and Skywarp's voice could be heard within the distant shooting.

"_Hey TC, if you are done with that human settlement you better initiate retreat! The Protectobots have arrived and at least two of them are very close to your location. Are you in trouble?"_

Thundercracker glanced at First Aid, who stared back at him, both realizing that the decisive moment had arrived. The Decepticon considered for the last time the option to fulfill his role and attack the Autobot, returning logic to its right place, but his enemy didn't seem to share his thoughts. There was a life at risk and that was sacred for him. Very few times had Thundercracker respected a rival so much, and this time it wasn't because of his fighting skills.

"Negative," he said, talking to his com link but with his optics fixated on First Aid. "No signal of Autobot presence at my location. I proceed to Headquarters."

First Aid was about to say something but his words were overwhelmed by the cloud of dust that Thundercracker created when he transformed. In a matter of astro clicks, he was gone.

The Protectobot hurried to transform too. The life of the young woman was priority. He would have time to question the surprising attitude of the Decepticon Seeker later.

_To be continued._

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_As you probably noticed, I used the famous _"Don't think. Just do it,"_ line that Skywarp said when Thundercracker hesitated about attacking civilians in _Megatron Origin. _Even though fleeting, that moment was very meaningful and inspiring._

_Next two chapters are almost done, so expect very fast updates. Please let me know your opinions :o)  
_


	5. Martyrdom

**Chapter 5**

**Martyrdom**

Thundercracker was the last one to return to the Nemesis base that night.

He had no hurry to come back; he wasn't even consciously registering time.

He just was flying, and not because of his love for the skies. His thoughts were dispersed and diffused. Even his own structure seemed foreign.

Something had changed the moment he had saved that anonymous human female, and he knew it. He had acted against the Decepticon code of honour, but at the same time he felt he had followed his own. Exploring the differences between both was proving to be disturbing; he was afraid he would find an abysm within, something impassable.

However, his cerebro-shells currently lacked of the necessary order to deepen into such thought. He had the urgency to explain to himself one single thing: had he saved that human by instinct, or had it been a conscious decision?

Forgetting about what had happened was not an option. It was embedded beyond his memory banks, inside the core itself of his spark, like a scream.

A bolt of lightning generously illuminated both the dark sky and the fuselage of the Decepticon jet.

Sound didn't delay in following light. A storm was approaching, carrying bad omens.

More lightning bolts fell like accusing fingers on the terrestrial ground. Their sound was so insignificant compared with Thundercracker's sonic booms, but in that moment they seemed shocking, just as a punishment should feel.

------------------

The monotonous humming of the launching tower's elevator had never sounded so irritating. Thundercracker wondered why he had never noticed how annoying it was to his audio sensors.

The sensation of coming back to an unbearable place returned. The proximity of the walls didn't help to alleviate his discomfort, increasing his claustrophobia.

He would have liked to have gone away from there. Gone anywhere.

He wasn't surprised to find Starscream waiting for him in the Command Center. He was actually expecting it to happen. Starscream had always been terrible concerning subtlety.

The evil smirk on his Air Commander's face also seemed natural. Thundercracker couldn't have expected a warmer welcome.

"Well, well, well… the absent has returned. Are you sure you are not entering the wrong Headquarters, Thundercracker?"

"Go and screw yourself."

"Is that so? You will be worse than screwed if you take another step, I assure you."

Thundercracker stopped, but not because of Starscream's threat but for his own urgency to face his Air Commander. A deep wound had been opened, and the path to recover his honour wouldn't be short.

"What in the Pit was _that _allabout?!" Thundercracker bellowed. "What were you trying to prove?"

"Only your commitment to the cause, Thundercracker, only that…"

"You are sicker than I thought if you believe that massacring a group of humans has something to do with the Decepticon cause. I don't soil myself by stepping on insects."

"Yes, I had the opportunity to see that myself, but you certainly don't have problems in soiling yourself by helping an Autobot, do you?"

Starscream's words seemed to silence everything around; the base's generators, the soft hiss of the main computer, the always vigilant humming of the radars…

"What do you want, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked somberly. He knew it was no use denying anything, even less trying to give explanations he couldn't give to himself.

"The question is not what I want, but what do _you_ want."

"Spare me the insinuations and get to the point."

The red and silver Seeker started to pace through the Command Center with his hands behind his back. Thundercracker wondered if Starscream was aware he was imitating Megatron's movements. Perhaps he wasn't.

"Imagine my surprise when one of my spy probes, which was casually close to your location, registered the image of one of my supposedly trustworthy wingmates saving the life of an insignificant human instead of vaporizing it as any other Decepticon warrior would have done."

Thundercracker felt the unmistakable stab of an alarm assaulting his spark, but retreating was not an option. Such luxuries had ended for him.

"I see… what a shock it must have been for you," he ironically retorted.

"And now imagine my surprise when I saw said wingmate conspiring with an Autobot…"

"That's not what happened! If you send your slagging probes to spy on me, you should at least interpret what you see correctly."

"And what is there to interpret, Thundercracker? The image of a traitor doesn't leave space for misunderstandings, now does it?"

The few roads remaining were closing, leaving only dead ends. Thundercracker knew he couldn't play at being naïve too long; there was no way he could overcome his wingmate in deceiving matters. That was Starscream's territory.

As if reading the defeat in his subordinate, Starscream stopped his pacing and folded his arms across his chest, assuming a posture of total superiority.

"I feel generous today," he continued. "Which is why I will allow you to choose between two options: either I introduce your brilliant scene to the main computer and send it to every Decepticon in the base, or I show it directly to Megatron in the first place. What will it be?"

Thundercracker didn't respond. Starscream hadn't mentioned it, but there always existed a third choice: blackmail. But being his Air Commander's slave for the rest of his life, as short or long as it could be, was definitely something he wasn't willing to even consider.

"Why are you doing this?" Thundercracker finally asked.

"You should ask yourself that."

"I've been your wingmate since were cadets in the Academy… Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"I should have imagined you would say some sentimental nonsense like that. You can't deny your Autobot programming."

Thundercracker's face was an enigma. Even if he had been wearing a facemask, his expression wouldn't have been harder to read. One thing was certain, though: a multitude of contradictory thoughts were assaulting him at that moment.

Starscream shortened the distance between them. He didn't seem to be facing one of the many inner fights he used to have with his subordinates. His hate was authentic.

"I never liked you, Thundercracker. Ever since I met you, I knew you were a dysfunctional element. You were always so straight, so… moral. I never knew why you became a Decepticon in the first place."

"My reasons don't concern you. I find it funny that you mention when we met. I also knew from the beginning the kind of despicable vermin you are."

"Be careful, be very careful… It's not wise to insult the one who can ruin you."

"You lost your chance to blackmail me, Starscream. You can do whatever you want with whatever your spy probe recorded. I don't care."

"You don't care, you say? I don't need to tell you how everybody would take the fact that you are fraternizing with the enemy, do I?"

Thundercracker shook his head and smiled with an irony that wasn't usual on him. "Yes, Starscream… I was fraternizing with an enemy. As a matter of fact, I'm actually considering joining the Autobots."

"Oh, spare me the sarcasm! You make it sound as fake as it is pathetic."

"Unlike how you make it sound, isn't it _Commander_? Now, if you'll excuse me, you can go to the Pit because I have no intentions of listening to you anymore. I'm exhausted and all I want is to enter recharge mode as soon as possible."

Thundercracker walked toward the exit, but Starscream got in his way.

"If you cross that door you will regret it! I'm here right now because I'm offering you a last chance for salvation. If you are slightly intelligent, you will take it."

It was too much, too much… Starscream wanted to include him in his sick chess game as the least worthy piece. For a moment, Thundercracker felt again like an inexperienced cadet with delusions of grandeur. Those dreams seemed like junk after so many vorns of war.

"Get out of my way or I'll blow your slagging head away!"

Starscream smirked, infinitely amused by his wingmate's threat.

"My, my… what was that, TC? Are you trying to behave like a Decepticon now? I'm afraid it's a little too late for that."

"You are right. It's too late. Maybe I should go back and vaporize hundreds of humans. Would that make me more Decepticon to you?"

"It would make you less naïve."

"Being naïve is not a defect. In fact, it's a very common practice within this base."

"Are you calling your fellow Decepticons stupid? Please, continue… Every one of your words enlarges my already big file of evidence against you."

"Why don't you enlarge your venomous mouth with this?!" Thundercracker shouted as he threw a furious punch toward his Air Commander.

It wasn't surprising that Starscream dodged the attack; he was the fastest Decepticon after all. What was strange was that he didn't return the hit.

"You just made another mistake, Thundercracker…"

Thundercracker repressed the desire of starting a second offensive. Starscream wasn't there to fight him, he had that clear.

"You are not worth it," he simply said. This time Starscream didn't stop him from reaching the exit, although Thundercracker could feel the evil smirk stabbing his back like a fire red sword.

-----------------

It was curious that Thundercracker wasn't worried about his immediate fate. Starscream had more than enough material to put him in a very hazardous position, but still, Thundercracker had easily given up to fatigue.

But it was much more than just physical exhaustion. It had been like falling into stasis lock, his circuits overwhelmed by the glimpses of torture his spark hadn't been able to reject.

Images and emotions flew freely through his processor as he let himself go through what humans called dreams.

He saw Cranker, his creator, dragging himself over the ground, his body stained with blood…

_Blood…_ No Cybertronian vital fluid was coming from his countless injuries. Only raw and red human blood…

He saw himself too, ready to shoot the death blow, his weapons disguised with fake honour…

And then he felt the hands grabbing him, making him a prisoner again. They were back, sharp and brutal tentacles. They nailed his arms and legs as if they were predators, dragging him toward the fate he knew he didn't deserve to escape from.

_I want you to be there… My execution… I want you to watch…_

His own words came back, reminding him of who he had been and who he was now… No more than two deca-cycles ago he had been facing death in an Autobot's prison on Cybertron, and now he was locked in his own prison, no trace of escape…

A violent spasm took him out from recharge mode. He bellowed, denying his dreams. He couldn't allow his creator to see him dying, it was unbearable… His own cruelty snapped like a whip.

It was then when reality and oblivion became the same thing. Thundercracker was awake but the hands were still there, grabbing him. Wandering lights were fleetly passing above him.

He violently shook his body, struggling to release himself from whatever it was that had him pinned, but it was useless.

Triangular shadows announced the identity of his captors. Under the scarce light of the surveillance lamps, he could see Thrust and Dirge holding his legs, whilst Ramjet and Astrotrain were doing the same with his arms.

"But what the…?!" he complained.

Astrotrain's rough hand covered his mouth, reducing him to silence.

If there was something that Thundercraker hated more than being confined between four walls, it was being immobilized. In that moment only his fingers had some freedom whilst he was being carried in such a humiliating way through the corridors of the Nemesis.

Wherever they were taking him was meaningless, even the lack of dignity of his transportation. What mattered was what was waiting ahead. Perhaps he had seen the sky for the last time. Maybe he should have felt released and welcomed the punishment.

Finally, the journey ended. An intense light dazzled his optics, forcing him to make an immediate adjustment.

He had been taken to one of the inferior storage rooms of the base, big enough to lodge all the Decepticons that inhabited the Nemesis.

Such a crowded welcome wasn't surprising, nevertheless. No Decepticon would ignore the treason of one of their own, or whatever they considered as such. It seemed like Starscream had given them something jucier than mere suspicions.

Thundercracker fell heavily on the floor when Astrotrain and the Coneheads finally released him. He got up immediately, but only to receive the unmistakable impact of Starscream's null ray, which made him fall on his knees.

The attack had been mild, however, intense enough only to disable his weapons. As usual, Starscream was making sure to provide entertainment to the mass he pretended he would lead someday. Where Megatron used force, Starscream preferred a circus.

Thundercracker tried to get on his feet, but his legs didn't obey him. It seemed that his first impressions about the damage caused by the null ray had been very optimistic.

"Oh, please, don't get up because of us and stay on your knees, Thundercracker," he heard Starscream saying. "We only want to have a… cordial conversation with you."

A heavy foot crashed against his mid section, throwing him backwards. Blitzwing… as subtle as always…

Four hands grabbed his arms, forcing him to stand up.

"Time for revenge, traitor," Vortex hissed as he and Brawl made their victim face a recently repaired Swindle.

Thundercracker understood just how satisfying it was for Swindle to charge old debts as he felt the Combaticon's fist impacting his face again and again.

"Leave something for the rest of us," Astrotrain spat, brusquely depriving the Combaticons of their toy. The Triplechanger's strength proved to be superior to Swindle's; it took only one hit to return Thundercracker painfully to the floor.

The blue Seeker leaned both hands on the surface beneath him and laboriously pushed himself upward, managing to get on his knees.

"All against one…" he muttered. "How honourable…"

A strong hit on his head made him fall again. Immediately, he was kicked and turned on his back, just to be pinned by Motormaster's very heavy leg.

"Are you talking about honour, you loathsome junk pile?!" the Stunticon leader bellowed. "What else could be expected from an Autobot scum like you?"

Motormaster increased the pressure on his fallen victim. Thundercracker grabbed the foot crushing him but couldn't move it away, still very weakened by Starscream's null ray.

"What's the matter, _Thundercraphead_?" Motormaster mocked. "It seems that ever since you accepted your Autobot identity, you have turned into a weakling."

"I… am not…"

The roar of a powerful engine silenced the Seeker's words as a yellow tornado rolled over him. Motormaster stepped back and burst out in laughter, just as the rest of the Decepticons present, who applauded Drag Strip's idea of running over the one in disgrace.

Despite his pain and confusion, Thundercracker moved very fast when he noticed the big green stain that towered him as a mantle. He avoided the acid from touching his face and torso, but not all his body was so fortunate. His left arm didn't retreat on time and the back of his hand received the worst damage. Metallic plates were melted and inner circuitry was exposed.

But he was just starting to feel the pain when his face was kicked. Mixmaster's acid attack had failed, but the Constructicon chemist had to express his frustration somehow.

"Guys, guys… let's get a little civilized, shall we?" Starscream said, placing himself between Thundercracker and the aggressors as a fake guardian angel. "There are others waiting for their turn."

"You slagging… treacherous filth…" Thundercracker spat as he threw a desperate punch against Starscream's feet. To his misfortune, the attack was agilely dodged.

"It's curious that you mention treason," Starscream laughed as he clicked his fingers. At his command, Dirge and Thrust grabbed Thundercracker by the arms and got him on his shivering feet.

"Now, let's recapitulate," Starscream continued with his best tone of hypocritical diplomacy. "In less than a solar cycle you deliberately acted twice in favour of insignificant human beings, which are considered our enemies due to their alliance with the Autobots. How do you declare yourself on the matter, Thundercracker?"

There was no answer.

Starscream smirked and continued his speech. "I will take that as an acceptance of your guilt… Now, I can understand that stepping on insects just for amusement is not precisely a priority of our cause. However, we all know that helping an Autobot is considered high treason…"

"No! I didn't help…"

"Do images lie, then? Fellow Decepticons: the evidence I showed you is irrefutable. Once again I'll reserve my own opinion and will follow the decision of the majority. What is your verdict?"

"GUILTY!" all the voices said at the same time.

"As for the sentence…" Starscream continued. "Normally I would let you choose your own method of deactivation, Thundercracker, but I'm afraid I have to follow the protocol. We all know an Autobot deserves no considerations."

Cheers reverberated through the entire storage room. In that moment, the crowd was one. However, the scandal wasn't able to overwhelm the three words that came out from Thundercracker's vocaliser.

"You and me."

Starscream glanced at him with curiosity.

"You and me!" Thundercracker repeated. "Right now!"

The red Seeker burst into laughter. "You must be insane! You have no chance against me. Spare yourself more humiliation and accept your fate."

"Hiding your cowardice behind your self-confident mask again, Starscream? Why doesn't it surprise me?" Thundercracker continued, suddenly recovering his dignity. "Why don't you simply admit you are afraid of fighting me?"

"If you and I fight, the result will only be one: my victory. I am not your Air Commander for nothing, you stupid fool."

Thundercracker smirked as a thin trickle of energon slipped from his mouth. "Perhaps you are faster than me, but I am stronger. I can melt you to the floor with one single punch and you perfectly know it, buffoon."

Calling Starscream one of the insults that Megatron used to address him was an effective way to provoke him, as it was proved by the grimace of hate that replaced the smirk on his face.

"Release him," he dryly ordered Dirge and Thrust.

Thundercracker almost fell when the Coneheads obeyed the order, his legs still shaken by Starscream's null ray. But he was free and that was all that mattered.

Screams and offers of bets made themselves heard as the Decepticons made a circle around the combatants. Of course, not a single voice supported the one they were so easily calling a traitor.

Thundercracker's first punch failed, only managing to lose his balance enough for Starscream to counterattack and send him to the floor. As his head impacted the cold metal beneath, Thundercracker tried to concentrate. He knew speed wouldn't be the key to victory. If he managed to grab Starscream, he would have half the battle won, but for that he would have to trick his Air Commander.

He remained fallen as Starscream kicked him and retreated again and again, attacking like a terrestrial snake. Pain was soon to the same rhythm, but the suffering had its rewards; it only took an astro klik of distraction from the overconfident aggressor for Thundercracker to grab his foot.

But Thundercracker had overestimated his rate of success. His inner systems announced his considerably low energy levels, finishing all hope of obtaining the victory. Everything that he had left was to cause Starscream as much damage as possible before he or the rest of the Decepticons finished massacring him, so he directed all his strength to the closest sensitive zone.

Starscream's knee creaked when Thundercracker's fist impacted it brutally, twisting in a very unnatural way. The screams of pain didn't keep the audience waiting, bringing infinite satisfaction to the fallen blue Seeker.

Despite the fact that he had half his leg dangling, Starscream had enough strength to grab Thundercracker by the shoulders and lift him up, forcing him to face him.

"Nice move, you slagger!" the red Seeker cried. "It's such a shame the game ends for you now!"

Starscream raised his right fist and crashed it as hard as he could against Thundercracker's face, throwing him to the floor again.

As he tried to support his weight on the floor, the blue Seeker touched something. Not even the confusion reigning in his processor stopped him from realizing whose feet those were.

Thundercracker lifted his head and found the optics of the one being that had never betrayed him.

He hadn't seen him amongst the crowd, but certainly Skywarp had witnessed his lynching. The face plate of the black and purple Seeker was a mask of pure hardness in that moment. No traces of comprehension there… the friend had simply vanished.

"You too, Warp…?" Thundercracker muttered with authentic sadness.

Skywarp didn't respond. He glanced at his fallen friend for infinite astro seconds, impossible to know if he would participate in the beating. Finally, he turned around and headed toward the exit.

When Skywarp's footsteps could not be heard anymore, Thundercracker knew all hope was lost. His sentence had been clear: he was guilty.

He didn't resist when two brutal hands grabbed his wings and lifted him from the floor, carrying him around as if he were a toy.

A stream of energon came out from his mouth when he was brutally smashed against the wall, his cheek impacting the cold metal.

"There is a theory about the sensitivity of the wings of a Seeker," he heard Onslaught's voice behind him. "I wonder if it also applies to Autobots that wanted to play at being a Seeker…"

An excruciating pain sealed the effect of the Combaticon leader's words. Thundercracker bit his lip components as he felt his right wing being bent, struggling not to scream, but he couldn't avoid panic from invading his spark when he realized what was about to happen.

"Tear it out, tear it out!!" a dozen enthusiastic voices cheered.

"Just a piece of advice, Onslaught," Starscream maliciously said. "Try bending the tip first… Yes, just like that…"

Thundercracker's helpless fingers ripped at the wall, every dent expressing his torment.

But he wouldn't beg… Even though his wings were about to be snatched joint by joint, he wouldn't give anybody the satisfaction.

_To be continued._

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_There were a few references to the prequel of this story, "Purple rain", specifically to chapter 7, in which Thundercracker, already prisoner of the Autobots and in an act of desperation and rancor, tells his father that he wants him to witness his execution._

_Thanks for all your comments. I have been inspired concerning this story and I already have next 2 chapters almost done, so expect really fast updates._

_Thanks a lot to iratepirate for the beta reading and the great times!_


	6. Thundercracker’s blues

_Thank you guys for your amazing reviews and sorry for the last cliffhanger. Here is my redemption, my favourite chapter so far. Hope you enjoy it :o)_

_Beta read by my dear sista iratepirate._

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**Chapter 6**

**Thundercracker's blues**

Pain defined every sentient being's personality.

To resist it, to express it, to cause it, to ease it… The position an individual assumed before a line that had more than just two sides showed them bare naked, free of façades or pretensions.

But in that moment, as his wings were about to be torn from his body, Thundercracker had overcome any line.

Pain made him feel alive.

Simply and barely, it was the only link with whatever he still called reality. Even the fear of losing his biggest asset became nothing. Thundercracker was empty, devoid of any feeling. Torture and humiliation meant nothing anymore; he only had pain left.

But even pain rejected him. Onslaught's hands suddenly retired, leaving his sore but still complete wings in their place.

The Seeker fell on his knees, unable to sustain himself on his legs. His hands were shaking; a signal of weakness that made him recover his urgency for façades. If at least he could control the trembling of his body, if at least he could show a coldness he was very far away from feeling…

It was then when he noticed the big change that had just happened. Silence had suddenly arrived, taking over every corner, hushing every shout and sound.

That could only mean one thing. Thundercracker dared to look over his shoulder and saw the tall and imposing figure of Megatron behind him.

The circus was over. Megatron was not there to mock him or torture him. He was there to kill him.

Thundercracker bowed his head. What was he supposed to do now? Beg for his life? That worked for Starscream, although everybody knew that Megatron gave up to that sick game just to satisfy his twisted sense of humour. Thundercracker knew he had no chance to equal his Air Commander's dramatic skills. Begging for mercy, giving explanations… everything would be useless if Megatron had already made a decision, and he certainly had if he was standing there in that moment, interrupting the lynching with his presence itself.

"Get up."

The order was dry but full of authority. Thundercracker hurried to support his weight on one leg and pushed himself upward, challenging the pain that was invading every one of the joints of his body.

"I told you to get up!" Megatron roared, roughly grabbing Thundercracker's arm and forcing him to stand up. "Are you weak, besides being a traitor?!"

The Seeker found strength somewhere inside himself to keep his legs firm. His fear ended with any trace left of Starscream's null ray. He even stopped feeling pain, except from the burning marks that Megatron's hand had left on his forearm.

"Now follow me," Megatron continued as he walked toward the exit. Everybody noticed the killer glance he gave to his Second in Command right before going out. Starscream fidgeted and bowed his head, certainly afraid of what was waiting for him once Megatron decided to give him some astro seconds of his valuable time.

Many of the Decepticons in the room discreetly smirked. Perhaps two Seekers would cease to function that day.

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Thundercracker walked behind Megatron for what seemed like an eternity. It was curious how suddenly he was unable to recognize the same corridors he had walked so many times before. In that moment, the Nemesis base was a strange and endless monster that swallowed him with every step, at every turn…

The Seeker realized that it was the first time that he had been alone with his Supreme Commander. In fact, there had been very few times in which Megatron had addressed him, and he always had done it for military reasons and in presence of his wingmates. Only thousands of vorns past, when Thundercracker was a cadet in the Military Academy, had Megatron talked him as an individual and had awakened in him the insatiable hunger for change. But after that, things had turned into a mechanical routine; Megatron commanded and everybody obeyed. No protests, no questioning, no second thoughts… It seemed that currently having such thoughts turned Thundercracker into a traitor.

He checked his damage report as he walked, alerted by his inner systems. The only worrying factor was his considerably low level of energon. The rest of his wounds were mostly superficial and could be repaired by his auto-repair circuits, with the exception of the serious burn Mixmaster's acid had caused on the back of his left hand. But that was meaningless. The general beating had hurt his pride much more than his body.

After breems of uncomfortable silence, a door hissed open and Commander and subordinate disappeared through the threshold. Thundercracker had walked so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed the place they had arrived at until it was too obvious.

Megatron's personal quarters.

For most of the Decepticons, the place was an enigma. It was tacit knowledge that only its luxuries outshined its eccentricities; some even said that Autobot heads decorated the macabre sanctuary.

But those were only rumours. Soundwave and Starscream were the only recurrent visitors of the most forbidden place in the Nemesis base, but neither of them had ever given details of the appearance of the mysterious quarters. Loyalty was the cause behind Soundwave's silence, whilst Starscream preferred to not talk about the violent correctives he used to receive every time he stepped inside his leader's quarters.

Thundercracker knew that entering that place didn't guarantee that he would walk out. However, even though remaining functional should have been his priority, he couldn't help being astonished by what he saw.

The Decepticon Supreme Commander's supposedly luxurious personal quarters were nothing but a wide and sober room with no more furniture than an average recharge berth, a computer terminal, a desk and a chair.

Megatron's rank allowed him every privilege he could think about, but it seemed that the Decepticon leader hadn't forgotten his humble origins. Miner first and gladiator later, even something as common as a recharge berth should still been considered a luxury.

"What are your energy levels?"

Megatron's voice surprised Thundercracker, who was already used to silence.

"Uh… 17.34 percent…"

Megatron lifted his arm and pointed toward a corner. "You will find energon in that dispenser. Refuel."

Thundercracker hurried to obey, refusing to wonder about what plans his leader had for him. Any conjecture was superfluous. His life depended on a single word from Megatron, or an action, as the deadly shine of certain fusion cannon reminded him.

He grabbed an energon cube and rapidly emptied it, feeling the uncomfortable glance of his leader on him. His energy levels immediately increased, returning him to normal status. Also his weapons were perfectly operational.

"What is your status?" Megatron asked.

"Completely functional… No serious damage at all."

"Excellent."

Megatron turned his back to his soldier and walked toward the back wall, the surface of which couldn't be seen due to the darkness.

Thundercracker left the empty cube inside the dispenser and tried to find his voice again. The moment for giving explanations had arrived. The problem was that he had no idea of what to say.

Within the darkness, he saw the familiar silver frame of Megatron glowing with deadly light.

"Did you ever watch a gladiatorial match, Thundercracker?"

"Yes… I used to go to the clandestine arenas with other cadets when I was in the Military Academy… I was your follower, sir."

"Are you trying to gain my sympathy with cheap praises? Certainly your Air Commander has taught you well."

"N-no… that's not it…"

"I will give you the benefit of the doubt, just this once."

"M-megatron… my leader… Permission requested to explain…"

"Did you ever fight against a Cybertronian scimitar?"

It was then when Thundercracker saw it, the mortal glimmer that didn't belong to the powerful structure of his leader.

"N-no… never."

Megatron came into the light again. He had removed his fusion cannon and was carrying in his hands, like a father, an ancient Cybertronian scimitar, full of dents but also of history. Thundercracker felt a chill in the core of his spark itself when he imagined the amount of lives that weapon had ended.

"Scimitars are noble weapons," Megatron continued. "Anybody can shoot a gun or a cannon, but it takes real courage to engage an enemy in hand to hand combat. The real honour of defeating a rival is to do it face to face, so close to him that you can smell his hate and his fear. Otherwise, the combat turns into a farce."

Megatron's words were hypnotic, just as they had been the first time Thundercracker ever listened to them. Back then, the uneducated but charismatic voice of that young gladiator had mirrored what thousands of oppressed Cybertronians were feeling.

And as he was facing termination at the hands of his leader, Thundercracker couldn't tell what his ultimate feeling concerning Megatron was: respect or fear.

The answer was very clear when a new glimmer made every thought erase from Thundercracker's processor. However, his body moved as fast as his astonishment. He didn't see the scimitar flying toward him, but he stepped aside by pure instinct, avoiding the sharp edge by just a few mechano milimeters.

He had underestimated the weapon. Even though it was ancient, that scimitar knew what killing was. An inanimate object, but it had memory…

Megatron smirked. "Very impressive, Thundercracker. I decapitated more than a dozen gladiators with that same move."

Thundercracker stared confused at his leader. The scimitar, nailed to the wall right beside his head, reflected like a mirror his stunned expression.

"Attack me."

The surprises seemed to not have an end. It was a nightmare… perhaps the punishment received at his fellow Decepticons' hands had deactivated him after all, and everything he was currently living was an hallucination as he struggled for his life submerged in stasis lock.

"Attack me!" Megatron repeated, his voice sounding like a roar.

Thundercracker grabbed the scimitar's hilt and pulled it out from the wall. It was an instinctive movement, guided by uncertainty. Attacking Megatron was out of question. Despite his doubts for the cause, Thundercracker had always respected the chain of command, with the obvious exception of Starscream. But fighting against the Decepticon Supreme Commander himself… it seemed like sacrilege.

"I… I could never…" the Seeker stammered. "Why…?"

Megatron had never been famous for his speed, but he moved as fast as a lightning bolt. Thundercracker dodged the attack by lifting himself with his feet thrusters, barely able to avoid being hit.

"Because your life depends on it," Megatron replied, preparing to charge again. "If you still have some warrior instinct inside of you, use it now!"

Thundercracker stepped back, trying to keep as much distance as possible between him and his leader.

"Megatron, please… I just can't… I could never fight you… You are my Commander…"

"Am I, really? Your actions of this same solar cycle spoke otherwise."

"I can explain…"

Megatron attacked again. This time, Thundercracker couldn't avoid it and found himself trapped in a brutal grip. Megatron was grabbing his neck with one of his hands whilst with the other he was crushing the hand that was holding so sterilely the scimitar.

"In the arena, there was no place for explanations. Our only priority was to survive, as we were the diversion for spoiled children like you who daydreamed about stupid heroic feats."

Megatron bent Thundercracker's arm behind his back, threatening to break the sensitive joints of his elbow.

"And heroism," Megatron continued as his victim groaned in pain, "is something that doesn't fit in the mind of a true warrior. We Decepticons fight for our sacred right to rule, for imposing our own concept of peace. Any code of honour that favors justice, equality and respect toward life is nothing but nonsense, the kind of sentimental slag that any pathetic Autobot would say, just as your creator… If I had had the disgrace of meeting him, I would have turned him into a pile of junk. The existence of mechanoids like him is precisely what supported the decadent system that governed Cybertron for so many millenniums."

Fury returned strength to Thundercracker's spirit, proving to be an always reliable motor. All his loyalty was terminated before the profanation of the one and only thing sacred to him. He attacked Megatron without remorse.

Megatron dodged the deadly blow of the scimitar and retreated. "Is the Decepticon inside of you awakening, Thundercracker? Perfect… now we shall see if said Decepticon deserves to continue functioning."

Thundercracker wasn't listening. He attacked again, closing his audios and his understanding to anything else but the battle before him. The one in front of his optics was not his Supreme Commander. It was an enemy.

Megatron avoided the attacks of the furious Seeker with increasing difficulty. Finally, the scimitar found silver metal and opened a thin but profound wound.

Megatron roared in pain. Before Thundercracker could attack again, the Decepticon Commander materialized his energon mace and stopped the deadly blow. Sarcasm had disappeared from his face, bringing the gladiator back.

"I'm surprised," Megatron hissed as sparks jumped from the contact of both weapons. "You've never fought with a scimitar before and still you understand it perfectly. You would have been a worthy gladiator, Thundercracker. I would have respected you before tearing your head off!"

The energon mace raised and hit with the same fury Megatron had used to terminate so many rivals before. This time, it was Thundercracker who had to retreat, his scimitar suddenly turning into a shield.

"Hate makes you strong!" Megatron yelled as he continued unleashing attack after attack. "Hate keeps you alive!"

Thundercracker could barely contain the energon mace that looked so hungrily for the chance to extinguish his spark. Megatron's lesson was harder than expected; little did it matter if he was killed in the process. Megatron had never been the kind to lament for fallen soldiers.

A brutal blow snatched the scimitar out of the Seeker's hands, sealing his fate as well. He suddenly found himself fallen on his back, with Megatron's foot firmly pinned to his chest and the infamous energon mace dangling over his face, so close that Thundercracker could feel his heat.

Megatron's facial features were harsher than ever. Fury had disappeared, also the sarcasm, but Thundercracker was aware that his real trial was happening right at that moment.

"You never were the fastest Seeker. You would never be even if you reformatted your body again to become what destiny forbade you to be," Megatron said with a strangely calm voice.

"But what's destiny, anyway?" the Decepticon leader continued. "Nothing but a pile of useless assignments that mark a mechanoid as a thing, denying him the right to decide his own path. When you changed your structure to become a Seeker, you also changed your destiny. Why do you reject it now? Why do you ever consider the existence of the code of honour of the weak, the ones that call themselves defenders of life but at the same time support slavery?"

Megatron lifted the foot that was crushing Thundercracker's chest and stepped back.

"It's true that you were never the fastest, but you are the strongest of all my Seekers, Thundercracker. And even though a Seekers' primary function is distance attacks, your strength allows you to shorten that distance and behave like a real warrior. If you haven't been able to make good use of the one thing that distinguishes you from the others, then I have been mistaken about you all this time."

Thundercracker got onto his knees, and not because his weakened strength didn't allow him more, but because he felt that was his position, kneeling on the floor. He was beyond shame and humiliation… a part of him had been snatched and exposed before his own optics, which insisted on remaining blind.

"M-megatron… I…"

"Logic dictated that you were the one to be designated as Aerospace Commander of the Decepticon Empire, but your lack of conviction defeated logic. Starscream is not Air Commander because of his virtues but because of your mistakes. You embraced the Decepticon cause but you never abandoned your sentimental Autobot programming. You lost your chance of becoming a real pride for the one you pathetically called father, and now you are on the edge of losing your life as well. Living on both sides of the line is not acceptable anymore. Time has come to make a decision, and you must make it now. You should know that I, _your leader, _lack of patience."

Thundercracker wanted to answer. He tried, but no sound came from his vocaliser. His mind was blank, as if he was just being created and he was being forced to accept a life, a destiny.

Megatron made his energon mace disappear and approached the fallen. His hand stabbed like a sharp claw one of Thundercracker's shoulders and forced him to stand up.

"Get of my sight now. You repulse me."

Thundercracker hurried to obey. Walking out of his leader's quarters alive was not a dream, but a nightmare. As his sleepwalk feet devoured more and more corridors of the Nemesis, he wondered if he was really alive, if that shadow on the walls at his sides belonged to him.

He couldn't understand what had just happened. Punishment, redemption? The twist his life was about to take was an enigma; his mind was too diffused to understand, even less to plan.

He was certain about one thing, though: everything was a charade, everything he believed, everything he was… He wasn't even sure of his own identity.

Thundercracker had no tolerance, or taste, for high grade energon, but in that moment he was sure he was drunk. The same confusion, the same heaviness… In less than an insignificant terrestrial solar cycle he had ceased being himself. Easy words, but internally he felt torn in pieces, every one of his circuits crying in pain and not because of the beating received.

He arrived at the Command Center without interruptions. He didn't care; in that moment he would have fought anybody, even all the Decepticons if he had to. His hunger for flying was already unbearable. Only in the skies would he find a substitute for peace, perhaps the clarity enough to give some order to the battlefield his thoughts were.

The launching platform opened as a liberating door. Outside the storm was awaiting, furious as some hours before.

Irate electric shocks illuminated him as thousands and thousands of drops of water hit his fuselage, but Thundercracker welcomed the aggressive weather. He was looking for purification.

He flew for hours, without any destination. He wasn't thinking; his only intention was to plow through the skies until his energon tanks were empty. If he was going to die that night, he wanted it to happen right there, in his element… He had left many issues behind, but in that moment he didn't care. Absolutely everything lacked of sense.

He followed the storm, which was the only one able to touch him at that moment. Once again, his processor wasn't using reason, but it wasn't reason that led his course of flight anyway.

He saw the mountains and the trees being punished by the bizarre storm. He began to lose altitude, until his heat sensors could distinguish even the miniscule organic life forms under the rocks, protecting themselves from the water punishment. Insects, literally insects… the ones that even humans stepped on, guided by pure disgust.

Thundercracker continued advancing. He was very close to the space ship embedded in the volcano when he transformed into his robotic mode and landed on his two feet. The ground was softer than expected and his feet partially sank in mud as he got to his knees and placed his hands behind his head.

He heard the sounds and saw the shadows approaching, but he didn't care. In that moment the smell of wet dirt predominated above anything else. It was so strange and fascinating at the same time.

He didn't resist when hands touched him and threw him on his chest against the ground. He continued to be fascinated by the smell of wet dirt even when his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

_To be continued. _

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_Was this cliffhanger worse than the previous one? Update coming really soon. Let me know if you liked this._


	7. Awakenings

_Thank you so much for all your amazing reviews! I feel so happy that you are enjoying this story so much. Fast update here, as promised. Fortunately I had this chapter written, because honestly I don't think I will be able to write anything until Tuesday, after the premiere of a certain movie, ahem. I can't believe the big day is in 2 days more!!!!_

_Wish you the best for the premiere of ROTF guys. A day to remember!_

_Thank you very much to my sista iratepirate for the betaining. _

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**Chapter 7**

**Awakenings**

The unpleasant and ironic sensation of reliving a situation that had already been lived before, hit Thundercracker's processor almost with sadism.

Once again, he was locked between enemy walls. Once again, he was facing an uncertain fate.

But there were some important differences, abysmal. This time the damage to his body had been courtesy of his own comrades in arms; the Autobots had been rough during his capture, but nothing more than pushes and some hits with the butts of their guns. Nothing he wasn't expecting.

He was there by his own decision and that had to count for something concerning the distribution of violence, which was always present between enemies. But in that moment, his own safety had no priority place within his thoughts. He was beyond fear.

There were also important changes concerning his mobility. This time he wasn't chained like the worst criminal. The thick handcuffs immobilizing his wrists behind his back were not welcome of course, but at least he was able to get up and take some steps within his small cell. But he didn't know if not being shackled to the wall was due to the benevolent attitude of his enemies, or simply because the Ark was a space ship and lacked of a decent Brig.

He couldn't accuse the Autobots of not being cautious, though. The ultimate precaution had been taken. Unpleasantly attached to his neck, a small and sharp device kept most of his systems blocked. His transformation cog, his weapons, his com link, his thrusters, his power chip rectifier… He was completely defenseless.

But, once again, it had been his decision.

A sudden noise interrupted his thoughts.

Footsteps…

Past and present merged without any distinction. It was the same situation lived on Cybertron… For a moment he believed he would see his creator walking through the corridor, that he would see sadness reflected in his optics as he peeked into that dark cell to see his only son chained like a beast.

Thundercracker got up, eager and afraid to approach the energon bars that separated him from relative freedom.

But it couldn't be. In that moment he would have given his life only to see Cranker's face on the other side of the bars, but reality came back, as tangible as it was mocking.

When Thundercracker realized who his visitor was, he couldn't avoid a small, ironic smile to form on his face plates.

"I should've known you would come…" the Decepticon said. "Have you heard of a human term _déjà vu, _Prowl?"

Prowl walked until he was face to face with Thundercracker, only the energon bars separating them.

"I know what déjà vu is, Thundercracker. And, unlike you, this situation doesn't cause me any amusement."

"Amusement? It amuses me just as much as the last time, I assure you… Although I must admit that it would influence my mood to know if the final shutdown awaits for me outside this cell. As far as I can remember, my death sentence was a certain thing."

"We Autobots don't execute our prisoners, unless there is no other alternative. And, unless you haven't realized yet, we are not in Iacon."

"I was counting on it… After all, I am here because I turned myself in, don't you forget that."

"I won't forget it. As a matter of fact, I'm here to take you to Optimus Prime. He's interested in having a conversation with you."

"The interest is mutual."

"Let's proceed, then. Back off three steps and turn around."

"It's not that I can actually try something in my condition…" Thundercracker said as he obeyed.

"It doesn't matter. I must follow the protocol."

The soft humming of the energon bars disappeared, relieving Thundercracker's claustrophobia as a liberating breeze. The instinct to flee kicked inside of him, but the Decepticon managed to hold it. The decision he had made also involved the control and future change of certain habits.

He heard Prowl approaching from behind and almost immediately he felt the humiliating sensation of being scanned.

"This is unnecessary…" Thundercracker said. "Your comrades already checked me when they brought me here. I carry no hidden device, no bomb…"

"Precautions are never unnecessary."

Thundercracker had nothing to reply to such argument. Prowl had fame for being a fanatic of rules and order. It seemed that rumors were not exaggerated.

"You seem to be clean," Prowl said without any emotion in his voice. "Now turn around again and get out of the cell. Slowly. You will walk ahead of me, no more than three mechano meters. If you separate from such distance, or if you try anything remotely suspicious, I will be forced to shoot you."

"Understood."

Thundercracker abandoned his cell and started his shameful walk through the infamous Ark. It was very difficult to associate those corridors with the immense ship half buried into a volcano that he had attacked with his wingmates so many times before. Those times seemed so distant now.

The intricate web of corridors through which Prowl was taking him made him feel like he was home. It seemed that the Ark also had countless hallways that seemed to lead nowhere, although Thundercracker was sure that the path they were following was not the shortest to wherever Optimus Prime was. Just as Prowl had said, precautions were never unnecessary, and certainly it was always useful to confuse a prisoner about the inner layout of the base.

Finally, captive and jailer arrived at a huge door. Prowl punched a button on the wall and the door opened. Thundercracker was surprised that the door had no access code or security system. It seemed that betrayal was not a preoccupation for the one that was on the other side.

Thundercracker crossed that luminous threshold. Prowl didn't follow him and stayed outside. Protocol or specific orders… there was no way to know.

Thundercracker highly disliked the sound of doors closing, especially when he was on the side that ended locked between four walls. Given the circumstances, the infamous sound should have been asphyxiating, but in that moment claustrophobia was the last of his concerns. Despite his stoicism, he couldn't help feeling nervous when he realized he was face to face with the Autobot Supreme Commander.

His instinct, forged through eons and eons of hypocrisy and distrust, made him feel the need to flee. Optimus Prime was as strong as Megatron, his killing abilities just the same as the Decepticon leader…

But, once again, running away wasn't an option. Not anymore.

"Greetings, Thundercracker," Optimus Prime spoke with the most serene voice Thundercracker had ever heard. "Please take a seat."

Even though he was very weakened due to his low energy levels, Thundercracker straightened on his legs as much as he could, ignoring the chair in front of Optimus Prime's desk.

"I appreciate your offer, but I prefer to remain standing."

From his seat on the other side of the desk, the Autobot leader seemed to be surprised by the answer. It was impossible to know, though; his facemask didn't reveal much.

"I see… May I ask the reason?"

"You are the Autobot Supreme Commander. Despite the difference of our insignias, I cannot ignore the hierarchy of your rank."

"I understand. Although I assure you that military protocol is not necessary in here."

"I'm sure it's not, but I can't act otherwise. I am a soldier."

Once again, Optimus Prime didn't answer immediately. His glance was neither invading nor aggressive, but Thundercracker knew that his was not an average glance. It seemed that Optimus Prime could see beyond the obvious, able to discover what was hidden behind layers and layers of appearances. It was uncomfortable, but Thundercracker tried to maintain himself as controlled as possible, one of the few luxuries he could give himself in a situation in which he had completely given up control.

Optimus Prime got up from his chair, like denying himself comfort before the rigidity of his visitor. Such a strange act of equality surprised the Decepticon.

"As a soldier, then you will appreciate I waste no time in preambles. I must say that your arrival at this base highly surprised me, Thundercracker."

"No more than it surprised me," the Decepticon sincerely replied, unconsciously feeling that he could speak with freedom before the Autobot leader.

"The reason of your voluntary presence here should be very clear, but still I want to hear it from your own vocaliser."

Thundercracker deviated his head slightly, breaking his stoic posture.

"I deserted," he simply said.

Optimus Prime remained in silence. Thundercracker was sure his legs would fail him at any moment, his weakness having nothing to do with the scarce energon in his tanks.

"I deserted," he repeated. "I suppose I wanted to do it some time ago… millenniums perhaps, but I didn't understand it until this cycle."

"I can understand that, and it doesn't surprise me in your case. I won't saturate your processor with questions for the moment, but I do need you to answer something for me. What do you want from us?"

Now it was Thundercracker who took shelter in silence. Suddenly, words were so uncomfortable and shameful… He felt as insignificant before Optimus as he had felt with Megatron, this time without a Cybertronian scimitar in the way.

"Asylum," he finally said, getting rid of the word that had been circling his processor for the last few breems.

"I can imagine you need such, considering your state…" Optimus said, scrutinizing the numerous wounds on the Seeker's body. "I suppose your departure from the Nemesis base wasn't on the best of terms."

"It could have been worse. I won't survive a second round, though. That's why I need shelter."

"Why didn't you go back to Cybertron? There are still thousands of places in which a mech who doesn't want to be found can hide."

"It's not my desire to increase the number of Empties. That's not my nature. Besides… I would prefer not to return to Cybertron for a while."

Optimus slowly nodded. "I can understand that, and believe me I deeply lament your recent loss. But I must insist. Why did you come to us? You risked too much."

"I… honestly don't know."

"There is a pending sentence against you, Thundercracker."

"I haven't forgotten."

"And still you come here, looking for… asylum. It is true that your voluntary surrender gives you certain privileges as a war prisoner, but I cannot ignore the fact that you are blamed for a large list of high treason crimes."

"I know, and I'm guilty of them all."

"This is not a tribunal, and I am not a judge. However, I suppose you are aware that by saying those words, you are giving me complete justification to order your execution at this very moment."

"I know the Autobot laws concerning high treason, which is why I won't deny anything. I have committed crimes according to your codes, and I admit it. I know my life depends on a single word from you, and that perhaps that word will mean my total deactivation, but still I resort to the generosity that makes you famous and once again I request asylum."

Optimus fixated on the Seeker his most firm look. "Logic warns me that this may be a trap. I have fought Decepticons long enough to know that honesty is not among their priorities. Just the name of your cause speaks for itself."

"It's no longer my cause."

"Still, you have to understand that I can't trust in you just because of your words. Even though I admit your behaviour on the battlefield has always been honourable, your crimes exist, and you deserve to be judged and punished for them."

"I'm aware of that and I will accept any decision you make."

"I cannot ignore murder, Thundercracker, even when committed following orders. However, there is something that attracted my attention in your case."

Thundercracker clenched his handcuffed fists. Here it came… The unavoidable intrusion in his past and private life. The moment for real weakness had arrived. He knew it was coming, but that didn't make it any easier. For the first time since his entrance into the Ark, he truly felt like a prisoner.

However, Optims Prime approached from the less expected side.

"First Aid returned with a fantastic story tonight. Most of my soldiers considered it an hallucination in the middle of the slaughter perpetrated by your squad this same solar cycle, but I was amongst the few that gave First Aid the benefit of the doubt. Now tell me, is such story true?"

Thundercracker remained silent, ashamed as if he were being questioned about the vilest crime.

"Did you save the life of a human female, Thundercracker?"

"I… suppose I did."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Thundercracker felt shivers inside his spark when Optimus fixated his powerful glance on him again. It was amazing how, despite being covered by a face mask, the Autobot leader could have such a profound countenance.

"Was it an instinctive or an intentional action?" Optimus Prime insisted.

"I don't remember clearly… Everything around me was so confusing at that moment. I don't recall having decided to move, even less to save her. It just happened."

"Had it happened before?"

"No… not consciously, I mean."

"Explain."

"I dislike humans but I dislike hurting them even more. I think somehow I always tried to avoid harming them… but it was unavoidable in most cases."

"Why would you be interested in not harming humans?"

"They are innocent. Our war is not theirs."

Optimus Prime walked toward the console of his computer, momentarily turning his back to the Seeker. If that was the moment of truth, then Thundercracker had to make his best move.

"Information," he said before Optimus reached his destination. "I can give you classified codes, future plans, the location of Decepticon secret bases all over Cybertron…"

"Did I ask you for something in return, Thundercracker?" the Autobot leader interrupted him. "Perhaps blackmail is natural for you considering the cause you still called yours just few breems ago, but here we handle things in a very different way."

"I wasn't trying to blackmail you!"

"Still, this is not the moment to talk about that. What I needed to hear from you, I already have."

It was the first time Thundercracker had had a conversation with Optimus Prime, but he perfectly knew that the Autobot Commander had made a decision. The time for listening had come.

"Thundercracker, in consideration of your creator Cranker and of your heroic action in favour of a human being, I will discard the pending judgment against you for the crimes of civil insurrection, criminal association, mass murder, conspiracy, terrorism and high treason, understanding that I can initiate the process again at any moment if I consider it proper. As for your petition for asylum, you will have my answer in less than a solar cycle. Until then, you will remain confined in the Brig of this base as a war prisoner, without any kind of privilege. Do you have any questions?"

"None."

"Fine. Retire toward the door. Prowl is waiting to take you back to your cell."

Thundercracker obeyed, understanding that speaking any other word would be useless.

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As he walked ahead of Prowl, always at the strict distance of three mechano meters, Thundercracker consciously realized for the first time the radical change his life had just suffered.

His future had no certainties; everything ahead was a mystery. The only thing he knew for sure was that there was no turning back.

_To be continued._

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_Update coming soon. After Tuesday, I mean. Enjoy "Revenge of the Fallen" guys!_


	8. Sentence

_OK, I'm back to normal after watching "Revenge of the Fallen" for the fourth time. I have a divided opinion of the movie, but some moments were so awesome that I decided to disregard the ones I disliked. Soundwave, oh my… Soundwave!!!_

_Ahem ahem, but as I said, I'm back to normal. Thanks to you guys for being so supportive with this story. I hope you will enjoy this update._

_Many many thanks to my sis iratepirate for the beta reading._

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**Chapter 8**

**Sentence**

If Thundercracker had something to be thankful for on that insane night, it was to have some time, even if only a little, to recharge.

Of course his current location was very far from being considered comfortable, but his fatigue defeated the poor conditions of his naked cell.

Besides the energon bars, the only tangible company for the Decepticon prisoner was a rough metallic plate attached to the wall, too primitive to be considered a berth.

But it was that or the floor, and Thundercracker still had enough dignity to not lower himself by lying down on the ground like an organic animal.

The handcuffs immobilizing his arms prevented him from resting on his back; due to his wings, leaning on his sides was impossible and doing it on his chest would have been far too humiliating. Recharging sitting up wasn't the most comfortable option, but it was the most honourable, so he leaned his back on the wall behind him as best as he could and bowed his head. He was uncomfortable but also thankful for the silence.

Exhausted by all the events of the last joors, and from the sharp pain of the injuries to his body, it didn't take much for him to be lulled into recharge mode. This time he had no dreams.

He heard footsteps. Perhaps he was dreaming again. But no, the steps were there, forcing him to return to consciousness.

He began to reactivate his optics. A blurry figure was staring at him from the other side of the bars of his cell. Was it an hallucination?

"Hey, are you awake, Decepticon?"

Ashamed of having being discovered in recharge mode, Thundercracker activated his numbed systems.

"Yes… affirmative…" he mechanically responded, still not having enough vision to recognize his visitor.

"Good. Then stay still whilst I deactivate the bars," the bad-tempered voice continued.

Ratchet… the Autobot medic. His bad mood had some fame among the Decepticons. It seemed that rumours were true.

Thundercracker remained motionless as the energon bars disappeared. Ratchet was smaller than him, and considerably weaker. If he had wanted to, the Seeker wouldn't have had any problems defeating him, even being handcuffed. _If he had wanted to…_

"Prime sent me to examine you. Don't you dare believe I'm doing this because I want to. I have better things to do than waste my time and resources on a piece of Decepticon scum like you."

Thundercracker didn't reply. He was astonished. He hadn't expected the Autobots to have kind attitudes toward him, at least not that soon… His injuries were not dangerous, but Optimus Prime sending his best medic was definitely a very good omen.

"Stand up and don't move a mechano inch whilst I scan you. Don't even think about trying any of your dirty Decepticon tricks, do you understand?"

Thundercracker nodded his head slightly as he got up. Arguing would have been pointless.

Ratchet began to scan him. "Mmmhh… Multiple lacerations on your head, middle section and arms… Seems like your friends did quite a number on you."

Thundercracker shrugged his shoulders. "I have had worse days."

"Oh, please spare me the macho Decepticon attitude. Are you in pain?"

"No," the Seeker lied.

"What did I just tell you about the attitude? I can tell just by the sight of your injuries that you are in a lot of pain and… wait! What is that? Turn around."

"What? What for?"

"I detected a serious injury on your left hand. Turn around."

Thundercracker frowned but obeyed. Turning his back on the Autobot was as humiliating as it was disadvantageous, but he was in no position to deny the order.

"Mmhh… this looks bad…" Ratchet continued. "Acid burn?"

"Yes."

Ratchet remained some astro seconds in silence before calmly speaking again. "If I remove the handcuffs, will you behave?"

_Behave? _Thundercracker couldn't think of anything more humiliating than being treated like a sparkling.

"Yes…" he replied, repressing the insult that was struggling to escape from his vocaliser.

"If you try anything remotely suspicious I will reduce you to stasis lock, do you hear me? The small device attached to your neck also allows me to control your driving functions, so think about it twice before trying any dirty Decepticon trick against me."

"Yes, I understood! I'm not stupid."

"Watch your language, Decepticon scum! Don't forget that you have no rights here!"

"Fine, fine…" Thundercracker gave up, trying to recover control despite how irritating the Autobot medic was.

"Now lean over."

The Seeker obeyed, feeling every astro klik more ashamed.

"Alright… now how are these things supposed to be removed…?" Ratchet growled as he examined the handcuffs.

Thundercracker rolled his optics. Definitely, that medic was not a warrior.

"There must be a forked device in the center," the Decepticon explained with all the patience he could amass. "Just press the extremes at the same time. Once you have done that, you will be able to open the secure mechanism manually…"

"If you're such a wise aft, why haven't you freed yourself?" Ratchet asked distrustfully.

"Does it look like I can reach that mechanism with my hands chained like this? They don't call them handcuffs for nothing."

"I told you to watch your attitude! It's not good for your welfare to be ironic with a medic!"

Thundercracker forced himself to avoid retorting, but Ratchet had such a bitter personality… Just like Hook. Was it possible that all medics had some sort of afthole directive embedded in their programming?

He felt an immediate relief on his wrists when the handcuffs finally opened. He stretched his fingers slowly, doing his best not to make any movement that the Autobot could consider a "dirty Decepticon trick".

"Sit down and extend your left hand... And keep the right one where I can see it!"

Thundercracker reluctantly obeyed. The acid burn was very painful indeed, but he would have preferred bearing the pain than bearing Ratchet. He knew he would feel grateful towards the accursed Autobot and he was already being tortured with the thought. What could be worse?

Despite the roughness of his words, Ratchet was very careful as a medic. He took Thundercracker's hand with delicacy and meticulously revised it, completely forgetting about his bitterness and his own safety in the presence of an enemy. It seemed that his threats were nothing but a pose and that he was kinder than he wanted to appear.

"I don't know this mix…" Ratchet said finally. "Were you playing with acids?"

"Something like that."

"The plates of the back of your hand are completely burned. I'm very surprised you can move your fingers considering your central motion system suffered severe damage. See? Punctured and melted sensors here, here and here…"

Ratchet subspaced a pump tube and brought it closer to Thundercracker's hand.

"What do you think you are doing?" the Seeker spat, retiring his hand.

"I'm going to inject a painkiller into your fuel line. Extend your hand."

"No slagging way! I don't need any painkillers."

"Oh, come on. You are not going to tell me you are afraid of a little sting, are you?"

"Of course not! But this is completely unnecessary."

"Pffft… just as any other Decepticon… You screwheads brag about your so called bravery all the time, but in the end you are nothing but a bunch of cowards."

"Who are you calling cowar…?"

"Look, it's actually quite simple," Ratchet interrupted. "I can't repair your hand properly until I get an authorization to take you to the Repair Bay. So you have two options here: either you continue playing the big, bad, brave Decepticreep whilst pain corrodes you, or you swallow your pride and allow me to inject you with this painkiller. And don't tell me this burn doesn't hurt! I am a medic, you can't trick me."

Thundercracker bit his lip components, humiliation reaching its highest level. He didn't know what was worse: the Autobot being right or admitting it.

Ashamed to the core of his spark itself, Thundercracker deviated his glance and extended his left hand again.

"Fine, good boy," Ratchet approved. "Wasn't it better to be a good Decepticon scum from the beginning?"

Old habits were powerful enemies. Thundercracker had to make a big effort to stop himself from attacking the Autobot and shredding him to pieces. It would have been so easy…

----------------

The decibels inside The Ark's Command Center increased as the most polemic meeting since the Autobots' arrival on Earth approached.

Opinions, complaints, suspicions and threats were flowing freely through every vocaliser. In a place in which nobody had to protect his back from his comrades in arms and in which no comment was ever repressed, Thundercracker's capture was more than a simple novelty, especially because most of The Ark's inhabitants ignored the details of the event. With the exceptions of Ironhide and Jazz, who had captured the Decepticon and had taken him to the brig, and Prowl, who was in charge of the prisoner following Optimus Prime's orders, no other Autobot had been authorized to have contact with the captive. Nobody knew Prime had given instructions to Ratchet to attend to the Decepticon's injuries.

Curiosity was rising to its maximum levels. It wasn't common to have a Decepticon locked in the brig, even less one as controversial as Thundercracker.

Optimus Prime arrived at the scheduled time. As always, the disorganized chatter amongst the crowd ceased immediately. Everybody remained silent as their leader placed himself in front of Teletran I as he always did, between Ironhide and Prowl, each keeping a respectful distance from their Commander.

All optics were fixated on him.

"Autobots, as you all must already know, four joors ago the Decepticon Thundercracker arrived at this base to turn himself in."

The silence ended with the confirmation of the juicy gossip, but the murmuring stopped with an energetic gesture of Optimus Prime's arm.

"I want everybody to know that Thundercracker has requested asylum in The Ark. He has deserted the Decepticon army."

Sunstreaker's voice imposed itself easily among the other astonished exclamations. "Deserted my shiny aft! It's obviously a trap."

"And a very obvious one, as a matter of fact," his twin Sideswipe seconded. "What's wrong with Decepticreeps these days? Can't they come up with strategies a little less stupid?"

Ironhide approached his leader slightly. "It could be a trick indeed, Prime."

"I have considered it, Ironhide. Such possibility has never left my processor. However, the singularity of Thundercracker's case deserves a more detailed revision. Allowing prejudices to cloud judgment is the first step toward injustice."

"Excuse me, Optimus… but are you actually considering agreeing to the petition of that Decepticon maniac?"

"I have already decided to do so, Cliffjumper."

"You gotta be kidding!" Huffer jumped. "Has the Universe suddenly become so insane that we are now refuge for some relegated Decepticon filth? The slagger is a criminal, a murderer! I say we destroy him right now!"

A dozen voices supported the motion.

"Manifestations of hate won't be tolerated. Every sentient being is capable of feeling regret. I have spoken with Thundercracker and I'm inclined to believe in his honesty."

"I second you on that, Prime," Jazz said. "When 'Hide and I captured him, he didn't give any resistance, not even when 'Hide was kind of rough with him…"

"It's not part of my programming to treat Decepticons like ladies," Ironhide dryly spat.

"Thing is," continued Jazz, "TC seemed disturbed, like in pain… And I don't say it only for his injuries. Seemed like the other 'Cons used him as a punching bag or something."

"Good for them," Sunstreaker said. "It's a shame they didn't permanently deactivate him."

"Well, we can always finish the job, you know?" Sideswipe laughed.

Optimus frowned and glanced at the twins with severity. Despite being very aware of their violent demeanor, their hateful and intolerant remarks were always unpleasant to hear.

"If you allow me, Prime…"

"Go ahead, Prowl."

"Did Thundercracker ask to become an Autobot?"

"Negative. All he requested was asylum."

"Ha!" Huffer mocked. "Now that would have been something! A Decepticon changing sides?"

"Why would that be so strange? Everybody has the right to rectify their mistakes. Besides, wasn't Thundercracker created by an Autobot in the first place?"

"But of course, Bumblebee!" Huffer continued. "That's what all that mess on Cybertron was about. But you can't forget he has always been one of our most hateful enemies. Have you forgotten how many of us fell before the shots of that Decepticon scum and his trine of killers? You are absolutely right. Thundercracker is soooo Autobot. He has it in his fuel line."

"You'd do well in stopping the sarcasm, Huffer," Ironhide said before addressing his leader again. "But I have to admit Huffer speaks with reason. Thundercracker is not an ordinary Decepticon, but a Seeker from Megatron's Aerial Elite. The damage he has caused us is incalculable. Like his comrades, he never made distinctions if his victims were soldiers or civilians."

"I dare to believe he is an exception, at least he is now. He saved the life of a human being, and that is something no other Decepticon would ever do," Optimus Prime said. "Seems to me that he is going through the most important moment of his life. His dishonorable past is finally making him have serious conflicts about his true self and the role he had carried during this war."

"And what do we care about his conflicts?" Sunstreaker spat. "Is it correct, then, to murder thousands of innocents and then simply save one single fleshbag to pretend remorse? We still have time to rectify this situation by sending him to the scrap heap he belongs to."

"Sunstreaker, enough. If you disagree with my decisions you have all the right to express yourself, but you should know that I never change my mind and this certainly won't be the first time."

Dental plates creaked when Sunstreaker forced himself to remain silent once again.

"The purpose of this meeting is to reach a common agreement regarding Thundercracker, who I plan to liberate immediately with my authorization to remain inside this base."

"So a Decepticon is going to be walking around freely through _our _base? Talk about irony… He better not cross my path or I will tear his pretty face to pieces," Inferno spat.

"We can put a tracking device on him so we can be aware of his location all the time," suggested Wheeljack.

Cliffjumper laughed. "A bell on his afterburners would suit him better."

"Enough!" Optimus Prime stated, his patience seriously challenged. "I am surprised. I didn't expect so many manifestations of intolerance from most of you. When I witness scenes like this, I ask myself if Autobots and Decepticons are so different after all."

Many heads bowed. Optimus Prime had that effect on everybody, military and moral authority without question.

"We Autobots believe in the freedom of every sentient being, and that includes the right to regret our past mistakes. I believe Thundercracker can eventually reach such phase and, if he does, I will be the first one to forgive his crimes."

"But Prime… I understand your intentions but we can't just forget all the evil that Decepticon has done to us."

"Evil is not something to be ignored, Ironhide. It must be fought and surpassed, avoiding its return by all means. Whether the challenge Thundercracker is facing now changes him or not, that will depend on him and the strength of his will. All I ask of all of you is that you do not deny him your help if he requests it."

"A Decepticon asking for our help? I would like to see that! Those Seeker slaggers are the most arrogant trash cans I've ever seen," Blaster said.

Jazz smirked. "I'd like to see that too, bro… Ooh man would I enjoy seeing that! It would be so amusing."

"This is not amusing at all, Jazz," Optimus continued. "Thundercracker is going through a decisive moment in his life and I strongly believe there is a solid possibility for him to regenerate."

"A Decepticon doesn't regenerate," Bluestreak stated. "Once a Decepticon, always a Decepticon."

"We all have unfinished quarrels with Thundercracker," Optimus spoke again, "but I also know that there is nobody in this base unable to forgive and give a second chance. In the end, that's what Thundercracker is requesting from us."

"A second chance?" Tracks said. "I agree that the guy is not an ordinary Decepticon. He was created by one of us and he must have some notions of our honour code, but he denied himself the right to have any second chance. Nobody forced him to get involved with terrorists and traitors and become one of them for so many vorns. To me, he is as guilty as any other Decepticon."

"Judging the past it not the current priority," the Autobot leader continued. "The future is always decided by our present actions. Autobots, it is my decision that the Decepticon Thundercracker will be immediately released and welcomed to remain in our base. I expect from you behavior worthy of our beliefs. We privilege peace and freedom, and that's what we will show to our guest. I don't need to tell you that I will consider any violent act against him as a personal offense."

Nobody spoke a single word as their leader abandoned the Command Center, followed by Prowl and Ironhide. Every Autobot was dealing with the bomb as best as they could. Prejudices, wounds and old rancor were suddenly being unleashed, challenging the ancient capability of tolerance of the ones who proudly considered themselves defenders of freedom.

Amongst the murmuring, the voices of Sideswipe and Sunstreaker imposed, making their anger very clear.

Also the voices of the absent made themselves present with their silence. It was no secret that the Aerialbots wouldn't take the recent news with humour.

_To be continued._


	9. First steps to freedom

_Sorry for taking some time to update this story. I had all the first chapters so clear in my head __ and suddenly I hit the blank page syndrom, but fortunately is gone now.  
_

_There will be a small flashback in this chapter. If you read the prequel of this story, "Purple rain", you will have no problems to understand it. If not, in my version of Thundercracker, his former name was Steelcrank, and he was created by Cranker, an Autobot._

_There is also a reference to the IDW comic "Megatron origin". I took some liberties with that one concerning time. As far as I remember, the comic didn't state how much time Megatron fought in the clandestine arenas, but, for this fic's sake, I'm assuming some vorns._

_Many many hugs to iratepirate for beta reading and for all the good times. _

_

* * *

  
_

**Chapter 9**

**First steps to freedom**

Thundercracker slowly stretched the fingers of his left hand. They still moved with some awkwardness, but the burning pain had disappeared. The painkiller Ratchet had injected into his fuel line had worked perfectly, better than expected. Not only his hand, but all the wounds on his body were comfortably numbed.

It was also very gratifying to be able to stare at his own hands again. After some astro seconds spent struggling against the handcuffs, Ratchet had given up on his attempt to return them to Thundercracker's wrists and had decided that fixing a restriction device was not worthy of his medical abilities, so he had left with a frown and some last insults aimed at his Decepticon patient.

Almost ten breems had passed since then. Without the handcuffs, it would have been very easy for Thundercracker to escape. Getting rid of the device attached to his neck that nullified most of his functions wouldn't have even taken an astro second and, with his weapons functional, the energon bars before him wouldn't have represented any challenge.

But it wouldn't happen, at least not in that moment. Thundercracker dimmed his optics as he felt the sudden desire to hit something. He was making his best effort to control himself, but still, he couldn't prevent certain prejudices and instincts from assaulting his processor, forcing him to question decisions he considered already made.

Was it his Decepticon instinct, so embedded in his programming? He had spent so many vorns distrusting his own shadow. He couldn't change, from one moment to the other, one of the habits that had allowed him to survive. He wasn't even sure he wanted to do it.

The road presented itself longer than expected, that was certain. But the thought didn't intimidate him. There was no such thing as an easy change, after all. He had started something and surrender could not be contemplated. Besides, he had nowhere else to go.

-----------------

_Cybertron, sixty thousand vorns ago._

A wall or a fortress… that was the question.

A small figure advanced through the narrow corridor, trying to lose himself in the hard shadows around him.

Enemy detected… He could hear him close, very close. Inexperienced hands tightened their grip on the toy rifle with anticipated emotion.

Steelcrank adjusted the aim. A thin beam of red light fixated on the nape of the green mechanoid that was sitting on the big couch before the monitor.

He fired. No hesitation, no doubts, just as a soldier had to act. But his victim didn't give any signal of having felt the small metallic cylinder that softly hit his head.

Steelcrank frowned and lowered his weapon, intrigued by whatever it was that was stealing his creator's attention.

The news broadcast of the Cybertronian Communications Network was boring, he knew that already. Steelcrank had only lived a few vorns but he was already aware of political hypocrisy. However, it seemed that whatever was displayed on the screen was serious, as the severe expression on Cranker's face proved.

Images of a mining outpost were replaced by the file photograph of a mech. For his design and polished structure, but most of all for his fake smile, he was certainly a politician.

"… _but the efforts have been useless. The repatriation shuttle Longshot remains missing after deviating its course 28 breems ago when it was heading toward the penal facility H-3. Official information hasn't been revealed yet, but it is speculated that it carried a still unknown number of miners that had been pacified after starting a revolt in response to the closure of mining outpost C-12. Authorities are searching for the missing miners, especially for unit AQ-000059157, designation Megatron, who seriously injured Senator Decimus during the revolt. Unit AQ-000059157 must be considered extremely dangerous…"_

"Can we keep playing?" Steelcrank asked, upset by the broadcast stealing his creator's attention. "That is boring."

"Wait, little Crank… it is important," Cranker replied.

The small blue and grey mech grimaced but attempted to imitate his creator and focused his attention on the screen, trying to understand why a news broadcast could be considered important.

The chronology of the events was absorbed by the permeable mind of the young Cybertronian, awakening nothing more than doubts.

"Father?"

"Mmmh?"

"Why did that revolt happen?"

"There are many reasons," Cranker spoke with the wisdom only a long life of peace could provide, "rejection and fear of automation being the biggest. Those miners turned their discomfort into violence, and they had to be pacified."

"Pacified?" Steelcrank repeated what was a new word for him.

"Controlled through the use of brute force."

"But… is violence supposed to be solved with violence? Like what happens in war?"

"It's not as simple as your military games, little Crank, but yes, something like that. A Senator was attacked, and that is a high treason crime."

"Why?"

"Because a Senator is a very important mech."

"Like a Seeker?"

Cranker smiled. "No, even more important."

More important than a Seeker… now Steelcrank was definitely interested. But there were so many things he wasn't able to understand yet, things his young processor was working overtime to interpret.

"But, but…" he continued as he supported his toy rifle on his shoulder. "Those miners are right, then."

Cranker stared at his creation, his smile suddenly gone. "Why do you think so?"

"That Senator took their jobs away from them."

"That is no reason to fall into bestiality and start a revolt. The Senate was going to relocate them in other mining facilities."

"But they were going to replace them with drones…"

"Automation is designed to help the workers, not to deprive them of their jobs. I am a worker myself, son, and even though it is true that some of my co-workers are afraid of automation, most of us trust in the system. The Senate cares for its people. It's thanks to the Senate that Cybertron has lived in peace for millions of vorns. War only exists in children's games like yours."

Steelcrank wasn't convinced, but nodded. His creator had to be right, it couldn't be otherwise. But he couldn't help thinking that both sides seemed to have some reason. Was violence the factor that determined who was right?

He didn't know. Little did he know that, many millenniums after, when his life experience would include a brutal war, many deaths and betrayal, he would still have the same doubt.

-------------

_The Ark, the present._

Thundercracker shook his head. Memories and guilt were permanent visitors to his processor, but lately they had been assaulting him with more frequency.

He hated it. He hated being so sullen and reflective. Maybe he would have been happier being carefree and superficial like Skywarp. Maybe he would have had an easier life if he had never heard about a certain mining revolt…

But he wasn't arrogant enough to keep the leading role of his own thoughts too long, though. That event had not only changed his life, but those of an entire generation of Cybertronians also, the Autobots included, of course… How big that change had been in his former enemies was a question he was about to find out.

He lifted a leg and leaned it on the surface of the platform he was sitting on. He rested his good arm on his bended knee and began to spin the handcuffs around his finger. Any Cybertronian, warrior or not, would have been able to lock them. Could it be that Ratchet had lied about his awkwardness with the mechanism and had deliberately acted with the welfare of his improvised patient in mind?

No. It couldn't be. It would be expecting too much from an Autobot, even though such Autobot was a medic. Thundercracker suspected that an unknown percentage of Ratchet's sullen personality was nothing more than a façade, but expecting too much from him would have been not only naïve, but dangerous.

Perhaps he would have time to observe more of his uncomfortable hosts personalities later, perhaps… Or maybe he would end up like a bunch of spare parts; a worthy finale for a Decepticon warrior…

Footsteps at the end of the corridor dragged him out of his train of thoughts. Still undecided between fear or pessimism, Thundercracker hurried to put down his leg and sat in a more honorable position.

Hurriedly, he tossed the handcuffs aside, but before he had time to think of an explanation for why his arms were suddenly free, his field of vision was invaded by three tall figures, the one of Optimus Prime standing out among the others.

The face of the Autobot leader was hard to read as always. The same could be said of Prowl, who was seriousness turned into a robot. Ironhide's stare, on the other hand, shone with promises of aggression when he caught sight of the sudden freedom of movements of the prisoner.

"Eh…" Thundercracker said, getting up. "The handcuffs… that medic said…"

"It's alright, Thundercracker," Optimus Prime said calmly. "They won't be necessary anymore."

_Not necessary? _Did that mean…?

"It isn't necessary for you to remain in this cell, either. Your request for asylum has been granted."

Thundercracker was too shocked to express gratitude. He was sure that, if Skywarp had had the chance to see the expression on his face in that moment, he would have said he looked like an idiot.

The energon bars disappeared, increasing his astonishment. He was expecting such a decision from Optimus Prime, he was almost certain of it… but still it seemed like an impossible hallucination.

"I… suppose there are certain conditions," he finally managed to speak with the most firm voice his dry vocalizer could achieve.

"There are, indeed," Optimus continued. "Freedom is your right, but as you must understand, certain restrictions have to be imposed. The electromagnetic inhibitor you have on your neck will remain there, keeping your weapons, your transformation cog, your com link and your flight systems deactivated. Besides, it will allow me and a selected group of my officers to know your location at any time."

There were no bars before him anymore, but Thundercracker felt the cold claw of confinement closing around him. His transformation cog paralyzed, his flight systems…? That meant the sky would be forbidden to him…

But still, he managed to nod. "I understand."

"If you try any tricks, we'll know, so be very careful Decepticreep," Ironhide growled, making sure to make his cannons visible.

Thundercracker chose to ignore him and focused only on Optimus Prime.

"You will not be allowed to leave the Ark under any circumstance," the Autobot leader continued, "and you are expected to have a respectful and cooperative attitude."

"You will have no complaints about me, Optimus Prime."

"That I hope. There is still too much to talk about, but I understand you have gone through a lot in one single solar cycle and you need to rest. Prowl will assign you private quarters. You can recharge there as much as you require."

"I appreciate your trust."

"It's not trust, Thundercracker, not yet. It's a second chance. I hope you will make good use of it."

"I won't let you down, Optimus Prime," Thundercracker said with sincerity, silently promising himself he wouldn't let himself down either.

------------

Thundercracker faced the corridor with a different view. He wasn't handcuffed this time, no weapons aiming at him… The same place he had contemplated as a prisoner suddenly looked so wide, but yet challenging, full of invisible threats.

"Do I have to walk three mechano meters ahead of you?" he asked Prowl, just to be safe.

"It's not necessary," the Autobot Second in Command replied. It was obvious the situation had him very upset, but it was also notorious that his orders overcame his prejudices.

Thundercracker understood the feeling. He felt very uncomfortable as well. Prowl had witnessed a moment of his life that he would have wanted to keep hidden forever, but yet, the Autobot hadn't made any comment on the matter. Thundercracker thanked his discretion.

They walked in silence, Autobot and Decepticon, side by side, forced by the circumstances. Perhaps neither of them had ever imagined such a scene, but it was happening and, just as everything that war carried, it demanded immediate adaptation.

Fortunately for both, the way was much shorter this time. It seemed that Prowl had no intentions of confusing Thundercracker again about the inner layout of the Ark. After some turns, they arrived at an illuminated corridor with half a dozen doors symmetrically distributed. Prowl stopped before one of them, almost at the end of the corridor.

"It's here," he said as he punched a button on the wall. "Generally we don't use security devices, but you can program an access code if you want."

The door hissed open. The place was smaller than Thundercracker had thought, with no more furniture than a recharge berth, a desk, a chair and a small computer terminal. Thundercracker didn't consider himself demanding, but he couldn't help highly disliking the lack of additional space and the luxuries he had had so far due to his rank as a Seeker of the Decepticon Aerial Elite. But he wasn't a high ranked warrior anymore, not even a soldier… He wouldn't have known how to define himself, too proud to consider himself a simple traitor.

"You will find an energon cube inside the container beside the recharge berth. In case you were wondering, that computer doesn't have access to Teletran I," Prowl continued, always following a protocol but still unable to hide his distrust.

"Maybe you'll find it difficult to believe, Prowl, but sabotaging Teletran I is not among my priorities," Thundercracker grumbled back.

"You are right. It is difficult to believe. But if Optimus decided to give you a chance, so do I," Prowl said as he walked toward the door. "If you need something activate the frequency X4235.53 through the computer; that's my private one. The quarters to your right belong to Bluestreak, and the left ones are Bumblebee's. Don't hesitate in asking their assistance if you need anything."

Asking assistance from the Autobots? Was he so desperate? Having the Coneheads as neighbors for countless vorns had been very educational concerning foolish neighbors, and Skywarp hadn't made things better on the matter. It seemed that that part of his life wasn't going to change despite his sudden relocation to the Ark.

"I leave you to rest now," Prowl said. "May your recharge cycle be comfortable."

"I appreciate your help," Thundercracker replied dryly.

Prowl nodded slightly and left, closing the door behind him.

Thundercracker waited for the sound of the Autobot's footsteps to disappear before carefully analyzing his new quarters. The first thing he did was enter an access code for his door. Perhaps the Autobots were used to trust, but he wasn't. Besides, he valued his privacy more than anything, even more than his life.

A rigorous scan of every mechano inch of the room brought surprising, even disappointing, results… No hidden cameras, no microphones…

What upset him the most was the lack of a personal cleaning unit. Disgusting terrestrial mud stained his usually impeccable structure. Thundercracker didn't consider himself a vain mech, but being a Seeker he couldn't help taking care of his appearance. Submitting himself to a cleaning process every solar cycle was a habit he had acquired since his body had been reformatted to become a tetra jet. The custom had increased to twice or even three times a cycle since he had arrived on the humid and sticky planet Earth, which seemed to have been created only to fill every Cybertronian's joint with dust and filth.

He had never appreciated his private cleaning unit in the Nemesis so much. It was very wide and allowed him to turn a cleaning process into something actually pleasant. Of course, Thundercracker would have never admitted that.

At least his new recharge berth was big, although it was obvious that it wasn't designed for a Cybertronian with wings. It lacked of the flexible areas that allowed a flier to comfortably accommodate the appendages that defined him as such, but still, it was better than the brig. Thundercracker lay down on his back and put his hands behind his head. It had been an exhausting solar cycle indeed; starting to shut off his systems required no effort at all.

There were so many uncertainties ahead, but fatigue was more powerful. The Seeker entered recharge mode, not caring about anything else but oblivion in that moment.

_To be continued._

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_I couldn't resist the "freedom is your right" line ;o) _

_Update coming soon! Comments and suggestions always welcomed._


	10. Orange walls

**Chapter 10**

**Orange walls**

_Iacon, Military Academy, Special Unit SKR-1000, fifty thousand vorns ago._

"Designation: unit TC-10893… City of creation: orbital torus state of Altihex…"

The words sounded hollow and indifferent. The bulky black robot continued reading in a loud voice the contents of the datapad he had in his hands.

Steelcrank remained motionless, his stare fixated on the small notch on the wall above the head of the arrogant mechanoid sitting in front of him. Beside the young soldier, Turbocharger, his protector and immediate superior officer, also waited.

The black robot's glance froze upon reading some line on the screen. Something had called his attention.

He got up and faced Turbocharger.

"A working robot?"

Turbocharger hesitated. He was about to respond when his superior spoke again.

"_A working robot??" _he repeated.

"Affirmative, sir… But soldier Steelcrank has been in the military practically since he abandoned the sparkling status…"

"And since when does a working robot dare to look like a Seeker?!" the black robot yelled, punching the desk before him with his fist.

"S… soldier Steelcrank was reformatted as a Seeker by instruction of the Military Ministry itself. General, I can assure you that…"

"The caprices of the Ministry won't become our failures!"

It was obvious that Turbocharger's arguments to defend the position of his protégé would be useless against common intolerance, so well represented by that close-minded but powerful General.

Steelcrank remained motionless, not even a fleeting shine in his optics betrayed his frustration. He had the urgency to talk in his defense, but he wasn't allowed to address the highest ranked officer of the Military Academy.

So it would end like that… His dream of becoming an elite warrior, shattered by the prejudices of an era as golden as it was unfair. If he was lucky, he would finish as a transportation aircraft, or perhaps as some second class Senator's bodyguard… or maybe he would return to guard factories, the glorious start to his career as a military robot.

A small light blinked on the General's wrist. His bulky frame didn't move as he accessed the message he had just received. Long, tense astro seconds followed. The hard grimace on his face seemed to soften.

"Captain, you are dismissed."

Turbocharger's optics narrowed in confusion, but he was intelligent enough to not question the order. He walked toward the exit, sending Steelcrank one last glance of support. He also knew they would probably never see each other again.

Steelcrank would have liked to have returned the gesture to the mech that had been his flying instructor and guide for vorns, but he wasn't allowed to break the protocol. Besides, friendship bonds had no place in the military. Soldiers came and went, anonymous faces that eventually disappeared.

However, his worries in that moment were more important than some simple sentimentalism he had inherited from his non-military origins. His destiny was about to be decided, his dreams only a klik away from being totally severed. Everything was in the hands of that big black robot, to whom he owed blind obedience.

"Unit TC-10893?" the General said with his cold voice.

"Sir," the young Seeker responded with all the firmness he could give to his voice, being able to speak now that his superior was directly addressing him.

"Your designation will be Thundercracker from now on. Your origins will never be mentioned again, under any circumstance. Is that understood? You will also be assigned to Unit 000."

It was done.

His fate had been dictated.

And he had no choice in the matter.

Steelcrank made an immense effort to keep the expression of his face stoic. Maintaining control of his inner storm was the priority, it didn't matter that his life had just taken a twist so abysmal that calling it drastic would have been underestimating it. However, his confusion was so great he couldn't help but stare at the General's optics, breaking the military protocol.

"Unit 000? I wasn't aware of its existence, sir," he said.

"That's because it _doesn't_ exist," the black mech replied dryly. "You won't talk about this with anybody. If you are questioned, you will say you are in basic training with the rest of the Seekers in this Academy. Report at once to your superior officer at the coordinates being sent to your data banks right now. You are dismissed, soldier."

That was it; no questions, no further explanations. His past had been denied in a matter of astro seconds and his future was an enigma.

Steelcrank made a rigid military salute and walked toward the door.

_Thundercracker… _he was still repeating that strange name to himself when the door closed behind him.

-----------------

Once he was left alone, the General stood up and activated a small screen on his left wrist. The image of a narrow hexagonal head appeared; he had no features on his face, only a single optic that watched everything.

"Commander Shockwave," the General saluted the Supreme Commander of the Alfa Quadrant, the one that included the most important city states of Cybertron. "Permission requested to speak."

"Conceded."

"A working class robot is no material for the triple zero unit, sir."

"Logic dictates that Unit 000 must only include the best fighting jets."

"Precisely… this soldier is a beginner. He just finished the first phase of his military education and his aerial training is basic. Considering him a candidate for the power chip rectifier seems to be a rash decision."

"An alteration on the core of his spark was detected at the moment of his reformat operation. Ability to produce sonic booms detected. That makes him a perfect candidate. You will keep your opinions to yourself, General. Prejudices don't compute."

The black robot hurried to close his vocaliser. He had known Commander Shockwave for millennia, and it wasn't difficult for him to realize what was happening inside that cold and composed processor.

The efficiency of a soldier was measured by his achievements and, even though cadet Thundercracker had excelled from the very beginning of his military career, he remained a working robot, with the mentality proper of his social class.

His ambition, though, didn't belong to his origin; it was as strange as his peculiar ability to produce sonic booms, something no other Seeker of the Cybertronian Army was able to do. Logic dictated that, in an authoritarian society, subjects would limit themselves to the primary function given to them at the moment of their creation; the sacrifice of their individuality in benefit of the majority. But perhaps young Thundercracker could be one of the few exceptions to the rule.

He would sacrifice his individuality as well, but if he proved himself, he would receive a prize that would be worth the loss of his identity. The power chip rectifier would turn his unique sonic boom ability into something extraordinary; it would make him a deadly machine.

"You will deliver me reports of soldier Thundercracker's performance every ten cycles. Shockwave out."

The subordinate hurried to salute his superior. The imposing purple figure disappeared from the screen as fleetingly as he had appeared.

It was then when the black robot returned to his seat. He didn't ignore the purposes of his Commander. Changes were starting to happen on Cybertron, after all, and Shockwave also had a master to serve.

--------------

_The Ark, the present._

It was one of those tacit things that war was so full of.

The walls of every Decepticon base had a purplish tone, just as the insignia that gave a name to all the anger, discomfort, the hunger for justice…

Thundercracker began to question himself long before activating his optics again. He knew what was waiting for him once his processor was able to register external images again.

Orange walls, warm and welcoming… An insignificant detail, perhaps, but one of many that challenged the convictions that had ruled most of his life.

Perhaps his strongest memory was those purple walls, the first ones that killed the bonds he had with his childhood, his home, his creator… The walls had always been there, since his distant days in the Military Academy. Fellow soldiers came and went, but the walls remained. They had been the first ones to welcome his new Seeker figure, tall, strong, winged… They had been silent witnesses of his triumphs and ambitions; they had also sheltered him when he had fallen, when the bitter taste of failure had brought him to the dangerous path of anger.

Purple walls had also been the first ones to welcome him when he returned for the first time with his hands soiled by the vital fluids of others… Unlike his own conscience, the walls didn't call him an assassin.

When he finally onlined his optics inside his foreign quarters in The Ark, he wondered if those new orange walls would accuse him, pointing at him for his treason.

But shadows were the only things he saw when his vision adjusted. With the lack of light, the metal of the walls of The Ark seemed like they were sleeping.

Thundercracker activated the lights, killing that ghostly aura of his new and reduced personal quarters. He dimmed the intensity to barely fifteen percent of its capacity; he had never liked excessive illumination and he wasn't going to change an old habit only because he had stopped being a Decepticon.

He sat on his recharge berth and grabbed his head. _Changing an old habit? _He had changed much more than a simple habit in less than a solar cycle. And there he was again, avoiding his own demons and hiding them behind some insignificant detail such as the light thing…

He was a deserter, a traitor, and he had to deal with that. The question about his new loyalties, however, was still far away from being answered. Perhaps he could be some sort of cadet again, a student, someone who could open his mind to new teachings, something that could destroy all those beliefs he once dared to call honour.

It had taken him very little to become a Decepticon. He wondered if the inverse process could be just as fast. Brainwashing was so much more benign if the subject submitted by own will. And he was doing it; he was ready for his voluntary reprogramming.

His identity had been snatched from him so many vorns ago, his past erased like a gust of wind. Could he gain that back? Could he be Steelcrank again? Impossible… but perhaps he could turn into someone else, someone better.

But he would have plenty of time to torment himself with his own thoughts later, his biggest defect according to Skywarp. For the moment, he had to focus on the present, on what was awaiting on the other side of the door. More orange walls, that was for sure, and certainly many hostile faces… Nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

He knew he was facing a more meaningful change than the one he had had so many vorns ago, when he renounced to his origins and the name given to him by his father to pursue a dream. Somehow, adjusting to the schemes designed by others was something that couldn't be avoided. He had hated that tacit rule since the moment of his creation, but he had adapted as well, always believing he was doing it to forge his own fate. And now he was being forced to face one change more, one that hadn't been imposed on him, but that he had chosen himself. Perhaps that was the difference. Perhaps this time there was a real clear sky before him…

Thundercracker shook his head and did a fast scan of his status. His self-repair circuits had done a decent job with the minor damage to his structure; only his left hand would need specific repairs. The thought of being forced to submit to Ratchet's contrasting personality again made him frown.

He consulted his internal chronometer. 0445 terrestrial hours… He had rested very little considering the fatigue of his body, but he wouldn't have been able to remain offline one astro klik more. The infamous orange walls, the fact he was grounded, his claustrophobia… Suddenly he was feeling more and more caged, forced to struggle against that uncomfortable feeling that was fighting its way through the core of his spark itself. _He didn't belong there, those orange walls were not for him…_

0451 hours. He had to get rid of the heavy burden of pessimism. If Dead End had never existed, perhaps he would have been the one to carry the stigma of being the most taciturn and somber Decepticon.

Not that he cared. He wasn't a Decepticon anymore after all. He didn't even know what the slag he was.

He stood up. He couldn't stand spending an astro second more inside that confinement, even less if all he had to keep him company were his own thoughts, which seemed determined to torture him.

He looked at his body, still marked by some dents, but especially dirtied by mud. In that moment he would have given anything to have his personal cleaning unit, just as he had in his former personal quarters, but all signals pointed that the time for obsolete luxuries was over for a once proud member of the Decepticon Aerial Elite.

He entered his security code and the door opened silently. The corridor outside was still half dark, barely illuminated by the weak emergency lamps that were on the ceiling.

He had seen very little of the real inner distribution of The Ark, so he decided to follow his instincts. Logic indicated that there had to be a cleaning unit close to the personal quarters area, and it would have to be on the opposite side of the Command Center because, as was the case with the humans, a cleaning session was something intimate for a Cybertronian.

He had walked some corridors when he suspected with contempt that he was lost. The Autobot base was more tangled than he had thought, and the inner diagram he was elaborating as he walked through it showed many practical incongruities. It was obvious that that huge space ship of orange walls hadn't been built with military purposes in mind; it wasn't a habitat made for soldiers.

Distracted by those thoughts, he didn't notice the presence approaching from an adjacent hall until he crashed against one mechanoid, smaller than him. Bumblebee, the weakest Autobot according to the Decepticon data banks, but also one of the sneakiest.

Instinct made Thundercracker raise his weapons, but he lowered them almost immediately. _You are expected to have a respectful and cooperative attitude, _Optimus Prime had said, and Thundercracker would honour those words. Not activating his shoulder-mounted incendiary guns was not the hard part; what followed was.

"I apologize," he brusquely said. His voice sounded rougher and more aggressive than he would have wanted.

"I… it's ok…." Bumblebee replied, obviously as surprised as Thundercracker by the random encounter.

The unavoidable moment of uncomfortable silences happened next. It was the first time that Thundercracker had an Autobot in front of him outside the battlefield. The old Decepticon code beat hard inside of him, trying to force him to see an enemy before him, small, weak, defenseless and lonely… It would certainly cost him a huge effort to eradicate such well established instincts.

"Do you have problems recharging too, Thundercracker? I have them all the time. I like to walk alone during the night cycle, just to think."

It wasn't his attempt to engage in conversation, but the expression on the Autobot's features that amazed Thundercracker. There wasn't rejection on that face, not even contempt… even less hate; just some sort of foolish kindness.

"Eh…" Bumblebee continued, "Prowl told me you and I are neighbors now. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to knock my door, as humans say."

And now a smile. That was too much. _An Autobot smiling at him? _Thundercracker had thought he was ready for all those differences he certainly would find during his new phase as a deserter, but obviously he was wrong.

"The cleaning area," he said brusquely.

"What?"

"The cleaning area," Thundercracker repeated. "Where is it?"

"Corridor 6-A, at the end," Bumblebee said, pointing with his finger toward his right.

Thundercracker said no more and headed toward that direction, but he stopped after four steps. _Respectful attitude… _That meant having to pronounce some forbidden words.

"Thank you," he said dryly, and resumed his walk. He didn't wait to see the Autobot's reaction. It would have been too embarrassing, almost as much as having thanked one of those he had called an enemy just some breems ago.

---------------

The common cleaning unit of the Autobot base had no peculiarities. It was nothing more than a big esplanade with many sprinklers on the ceiling. There were some half filled lubricant cans scattered over the place, and that was it. Very different from his own private cleaning unit, in which he had had the biggest luxury of all: privacy. But at least the place was empty, and if he wanted it to remain that way he had to hurry. It would have been very embarrassing to be found washing himself.

He walked toward the farthest sprinkler and activated it. A warm and relaxing liquid fell generously over his body. The contact with the pleasant substance started to tranquilize him. Thundercracker dimmed his optics as he placed both hands on the wall and leaned his head between them.

He felt the dirtiness abandoning his structure. He would have liked for his worries to vanish that way too, as diluted mud between his feet. But that had proven to be a difficult dust to get rid of. Once again he would have liked to be more superficial, to not think too much…

Despite his need to hurry the cleaning process, the Seeker gave up to the warm hug of the different solvents that caressed him, forgetting that time was a unit that never stopped running.

He didn't hear the footsteps, neither did he feel the invading presence. When the voice of the newcomer resounded in his audio sensors, it was already too late to pretend.

The nightmare had begun, officially.

_To be continued._

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_Another flashback, yes. As I said, I won't abuse of this resource but a couple of them more will be needed to specify some things about Thundercracker's past._

_The power chip rectifier appeared on the G1 episode "Heavy metal war". It was the device that allowed the Transformers to perform their special abilities. For this story, I'm considering these chips as something much more exclusive, a special device that just a few selected had, which allowed them to increase the special abilities they were created with. _

_Thank you very much for all your support and comments, please keep them coming. Big hugs to my sis iratepirate for beta reading._


	11. To be lynched or not to be lynched…

**Chapter 11**

**To be lynched or not to be lynched… that is the question**

"Hey, TC!"

Thundercracker startled, totally taken by surprise. It wasn't the arrival of the intruder that confused him, but the cheerful tone of his voice. For a moment he thought he was back in the Nemesis base, that everything that had happened had been a bad dream and that Skywarp was there, ready to palm his shoulder or to drag him to help him in one of his stupid pranks that would end getting both of them into trouble.

But that voice was not Skywarp's, even less that smile that completely lacked of malice. Standing under the threshold of the entrance of the wide Cleaning Unit of the Ark, Jazz, the elite Autobot's saboteur, stared at him with sympathy.

"Hee, sorry to have caught you in the shower, TC, but as your official guide in this joint I supposed it was time to give you a taste of how things work here."

"Don't do me any favours," TC coldly replied as he activated the process of drying. That Autobot had a lot of nerve talking to him like if they were old friends. Who the slag did he think he was to call him TC?

"Come on, don't be upset," Jazz laughed. "I just want to help you a little bit. I think you'll find some differences between the Ark and the Nemesis."

Differences? But of course… he wouldn't have noticed it if Jazz wouldn't have mentioned it, perhaps he would have been stupid enough to believe both slagging ships were the same thing…

Thundercracker leaned a hand on the wall before him, forcing himself to calm down, to focus his agitated mental patterns. His instincts had reacted against the unexpected arrival of the Autobot, the trigger of his anger about to be released… He realized that his Decepticon programming was as active as always. Perhaps he wasn't as different from his former comrades in arms as he had thought; perhaps he was just like them, ready to attack Jazz only because he had caught him during an embarrassing moment. Perhaps his battle was lost in advance…

"Hey man, did you have a cool recharge cycle?"

As saviours, thus Jazz's words sounded, who seemed not to have noticed the inner dilemma of the Decepticon. Thundercracker couldn't believe that the frown on his face wasn't as obvious as a laser shot. Certainly Jazz was not blind, but he was proving to be discreet despite his cheerful personality.

"Yes," Thundercracker forced himself to reply. "I did."

"Call me perceptive but I think that wasn't the case. You look tired man, but you'll do better next time huh?"

The harshness on Thundercracker's facial features didn't change. He was trying to read between lines, just as Jazz expected him to do. The Seeker hated to move among appearances, even though he was very used to it. Was it that difficult for others to just leave him alone?

Being realistic, yes. Expecting to have some peace was a naïve hope. The Autobots had their agenda too, of course, and he had to respond according to what was expected of him. The road to purity was full of spines, he could see that.

"Yes," he heard himself saying. "I suppose…"

It was so humiliating. He was sure Jazz was there because Optimus Prime had ordered him to be and not because of his own decision. And even if Jazz's motivation had been honest, Thundercracker couldn't think of something worse than receiving the pity of an enemy. There was simply no way out.

"I bet you're hungry after the journey you had last night," Jazz continued.

"No," Thundercracker lied. Even though his energy levels were reaching readings so low that they could be considered alarming, he had decided to stash the energon cube he had found in his new personal quarters. He wasn't sure how generous the Autobots would be with him concerning energon sharing.

Jazz smiled; the fragger seemed to notice the fragile web of appearances that Thundercracker was trying to maintain. It was doubly humiliating.

"Still, it won't kill you to have some good old energon. We always refuel during the first shift of the cycle. What about you?"

"Third," the jet dryly replied.

"Some breems of difference, then, but you'll get used to it. Follow me, the Refueling Unit is this way."

Thundercracker repressed a grimace and prepared to do what Jazz was suggesting. What else could he do, being the last link in a chain in which he wasn't even considered?

---------------

Fortunately, his entrance to the Refuel Unit of the Ark wasn't as dramatic as he had feared. The hostile glances he received on the way gave him time to get used to what was coming. His audios also caught isolated insults, some whispered, others with all the intention to reach his audio sensors. He ignored them, of course. As long as the Autobots kept their distance, he didn't have any problem in being the object of general hatred. Insults didn't kill, after all.

He followed Jazz's directions and arrived at a big room full of tables and sets of chairs, very similar to the one the Decepticons used to refuel. The place was not very crowded but full enough to make a claustrophobic mech uncomfortable; more than a dozen Autobots were scattered amongst the tables, refueling with energon cubes produced by the immense dispenser attached to the front wall.

Thundercracker's discomfort increased when he felt the stabs of each pair of yellow or blue optics fixated on him. Despite the pardon Optimus Prime had granted him, Thundercracker was sure there was no Autobot in that room who wasn't considering emptying their weapons on his frame.

Nothing he wasn't expecting, though, or cared about for the matter. Even among his own comrades he would have had to watch his back, even before being considered a traitor. With the exception of Skywarp, Thundercracker had never expected of any of his former brothers in arms a supporting word or a kind glance. The only difference now was that he was the only target of the common resentment, unlike it would have happened in a healthy Decepticon environment in which everybody barely tolerated each other.

Ashamed of his sudden and sick nostalgia, Thundercracker ignored the Autobots and headed toward the energon dispenser. A thick silence closed around him, even though some Autobots had the decency of trying to ignore his presence.

The common sound of an energon cube filling with the vital fuel sounded as a countdown. Thundercracker wouldn't have been surprised if suddenly the cube before him had been blown to pieces along with his hand by a not-so-unexpected missile.

But nothing happened and Thundercracker walked as proudly as he could toward the most distant table of the room, a welcomed island that was barely illuminated and would give him some privacy, if such thing was possible under the current circumstances.

He sat, sheltering as much as he could within the shadow of the corner, and started to drink from his cube. The scarce visibility he had of the rest of the room satisfied him and allowed himself to relax a little. He had never liked to hurry his ingestion of energon, one of the few moments in which he could find some peace in times of war.

About half a breem of comfortable indifference went by. Thundercracker had almost emptied his cube when two shadows obscured his corner even more. His circuits kicked in alert when he recognized the two hateful twins Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

How thick silence could get was something Thundercracker would find out if he kept his policy of ignoring everything that surrounded him. Despite his fame for being reserved and taciturn, his patience had always remained on a very thin line.

"What?!" he finally asked, very uncomfortable having both Autobots practically towering him.

"Excuse us for bothering you, your Highness, but we think that the chair you are sitting on is unworthy of your royal afterburners," Sideswipe said with a very acid tone of voice.

"In other words, this place and everything inside is only for Autobots, so get the slag out, Decepticon scum! The garbage disposal unit is not that far away. You'll certainly be more comfortable there."

Thundercracker finished his energon, his optics fixated on the twins, and placed the empty cube on the table firmly.

"If I would like garbage as you say, I would procure your company more frequently, Autobot," he calmly said.

"Oh, the Decepticon wants to fight?" Sunstreaker sneered with the same calm that anticipates a storm. "Interesting."

Thundercracker's spark felt the familiar scent of hate. For a moment he considered the possibility of pouncing at the arrogant Autobot, but only for a moment…

More than ever, he hated his Decepticon instincts and the current impossibility of applying them. He got up slowly, trying not to make any movement that could be considered aggressive, but Sunstreaker moved in his way from one side of the table and Sideswipe did the same thing on the other. He was trapped.

"I find your attempts of provocation absurd, if not childish. I recommend you to stay out of my way, Autobots."

"To stay out of your way? _Us?! _You have a lot of nerve to talk to us like that. It's you who is the intruder, Decepticon! You have no right to be here!" Sunstreaker yelled.

The shout caught the attention of the few Autobots who were not already following the tense exchange of words at the bottom of the room closely. Suddenly there was no pair of optics which weren't completely focused on the scene.

Thundercracker quickly analyzed the situation. It was very possible for other Autobots to join the twins in harassing him. With his possible exit routes blocked and his weapons deactivated, his hopes of getting out undamaged were nil. Very few times like in that moment had he envied Skywarp's teleporting abilities.

"You also have no right to refuel with our energon," Sideswipe spat.

"_Your _energon? As far as I know, your energy resources are supplied by the humans. You didn't do anything to obtain them," Thundercracker retorted, unable to repress himself anymore. He wasn't used to offering the other cheek when receiving a hit. It wasn't the Decepticon way.

"Nothing, except protecting them from crooks like you! It must be really comfortable to steal energy and over energize with it. Very honorable!" Sideswipe continued.

"I am not going to discuss honour with you, Autobot. You lack of maturity and intelligence to sustain such kind of conversation."

Sideswipe's optics shone with so much hate that he could have rivaled a Decepticon on the matter. Not for the first time during the conversation, Thundercracker thought that it would be wise to keep his vocalizer shut, but being a warrior he couldn't react otherwise. He was willing to renounce to his aggressive instincts but not the ones concerning self-defense.

"You dare to talk about honour? You, a traitorous, sick coward?!" Sideswipe's words erupted at the same time as his hands turned into fists. The possibility of violence was already unequivocal.

Now all the Autobots had their complete attention on the scene between the twins and Thundercracker. The most distant ones followed their curiosity and got closer, ready to help Sunstreaker and Sideswipe in their word duel with the hated Decepticon Seeker. Sunstreaker noticed the general attention and decided to make good use of the opportunity to inflict his enemy some public humiliation.

"So, Thundercracker… I have always had a doubt, you know?" he said, casually leaning his hand on the table. "You see, 'Sides and I have always wondered which one of you is the female, you know, between you and Skywarp? I mean, since you and him are bondmates…"

Laughs made themselves heard freely, harming the Decepticon's pride.

"Oh, don't pull that face… There is no problem with me, I assure you," Sunstreaker continued. "But if you have those preferences… you'd do better staying away from all of us. Except Tracks, we all here prefer the curves and not the lines, if you know what I mean."

"Hey!" Tracks' complaint got lost within the guffaws.

Sideswipe didn't wait to continue the joke. "But don't worry, TC! If you want, Wheeljack could change your colours to something more proper. Pink, would you like that? Hey, we could even reformat you into a femme. That would make things quite a lot more… interesting around here."

Thundercracker's optics were already a thin line of anger. He knew the twins would use any kind of antic to provoke him, and he was seriously considering giving up and defending himself with something more than words. But, once again, his determination won the battle. Even though he was sure he could handle those two in hand to hand combat, there was nothing he could do against an entire battalion of Autobots only looking for an excuse to turn him into scrap. And he wouldn't give them that excuse.

"I don't want to fight," he dryly said. "I am going to leave this place right now and I ask you courteously to stand aside, Autobot."

Sunstreaker straightened his position and erased his smirk. The general laughing silenced and the thick silence returned.

"It's curious that you mention courtesy, being what you are, a killer."

The word deeply upset Thundercracker, as if he were hearing it directed toward him for the first time.

"I am a soldier," was his serious response.

Sunstreaker grimaced with contempt. "A soldier is a defender, not a murderer. You Decepticreeps are more foolish than I thought if you think you can consider yourselves warriors when you are nothing more than mercenaries."

Thundercracker didn't reply. He had subjected himself to those same recriminations many times, he didn't need some cocky Autobot to remind him.

Sunstreaker's face plates tightened even more, interpreting his enemy's silence. "You being here… is an insult. Have you thought, you slaggin' freak, of how many lives you owe to the ones standing here right now? How many of our friends and family you off-lined in your stupid quest for power and domination? Had that thought crossed your sick and self-centered processor?! Mechs and femmes that were so much better than you, filthy Decepticon scum… and yet you dare to be here and refuel with our energon… the same energon so many Autobots you cowardly killed should be enjoying right now!"

"Like I said, I am a soldier," Thundercracker repeated, his words firm but his stare suddenly looking for a refuge on the floor. "I don't think I have to explain the military protocol to you, but if you can't understand it, then you are the blind, Sunstreaker."

The yellow Autobot took a dangerous step toward his enemy, nothing more than a chair between them.

"Deny it," he said. "Deny that you murdered countless innocent civilians. Where is your military protocol in that, you slagger?"

Collateral damage was unavoidable. Thundercracker had always tried to avoid civilian victims, but most of the time his efforts had been rewarded with more and more off-lined carcasses of Cybertronians not involved in the conflict that announced the new era of the planet. He knew he had no argument in his defense. It didn't matter if he had felt disgusted by some of his cause's tactics, he had never done anything to stop them and that turned him into the murderer that Sunstreaker and all the Autobots saw in him.

A harsh and rancorous voice made itself heard among the group of Autobots that was getting dangerously close to the Seeker. "And you certainly don't know anything about the slaughter of sparklings either, do you Thundercracker, or about the thousands of femmes that were raped and killed? How many of them did you desecrate, Decepticon filth?" Brawn said, standing out despite his shorter height.

Thundercracker retreated a step, but there was nothing but the wall behind him. "I wouldn't be here right now if I had taken part in things like that. You are all delirious if you think…"

"Liar! You know you're lying, you degenerate psychotic monster…!" Sunstreaker growled, losing whatever control he had left and pouncing at his enemy.

But Thundercracker was ready for that movement. In the astro klik that preceded the attack, he had enough time to analyze his possibilities. Answering the aggression would certainly mean being lynched, but Sunstreaker beating him to junk was not in his plans either. So he did what he thought was the best course of action; he grabbed the chair and raised it as a shield, managing to contain Sunstreaker and pushing him backward.

"You slagger!!" the Lamborghini cried, materializing his electron-pulse gun and aiming toward Thundercracker's chest.

"WHAT THE SLAG IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The voice paralyzed everyone. More than authority, it reflected annoyance. Ratchet opened his way through the group of Autobots and stared at Thundercracker without any sort of sympathy.

"And just when were you thinking to report to your repair session, Decepticreep? I have much better things to do than waiting for you, so you better move your aft and take it to the Repair Bay right now!"

Sunstreaker glanced at the medic, not able to restrain his confusion. "Ratchet, what the slag…?"

"I still have to fix this Decepticon scum's hand, and I won't get in trouble with Prime just because you want to make him eat his wings. If you have any objections, Sunstreaker, I suggest you go and speak with the boss or go shoot a mountain or something. I won't allow you to increase my work by adding new orifices to this Decepticon, do you understand?"

Sunstreaker put his weapon down but he didn't change the harshness of his face.

"This isn't over, Thundercracker," he said in low voice, approaching his face to the Seeker's audios. "I'll make your life here an inferno."

Then, he headed toward the exit. The rest of the Autobots did the same thing, shooting Thundercracker a last non-friendly glance.

Maybe Thundercracker would have felt relief, but the humiliation of having being saved by the Autobot medic was too heavy for his proud spark to handle. Once again he owed him, and this time for much more than a simple repair job on his hand.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ratchet brusquely said to him. "The Repair Bay is not going to come to you, you know?"

Thundercracker snorted but followed Ratchet. Despite his annoyance, it was curious how the orange walls suddenly looked less asphyxiating.

_To be continued._

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_As I post this chapter I have next one almost finished, so expect a fast update._

_Thanks a lot to iratepirate for beta reading and to all of you who are following this story. All your comments are very welcome._


	12. What nightmares are made of

_As promised, fast update. Writing this is like eating a permanent chocolate bar, so you may find some signals of sugar overload at some parts, but oh well… What can you do when you love Transformers so much? _

_Thanks a lot to iratepirate for doing the dirty job of correcting my grammar. _

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**Chapter 12**

**What nightmares are made of**

"Move your index finger… good… now the thumb… stretch it… more…"

"Now close your fist and extend your middle finger."

Ratchet stared severely toward his left.

"Don't you have something else to do, Huffer? Or must I declare the Repair Bay off limits for you?"

"I'm just making sure this Decepticon doesn't try anything against you, Ratchet."

"How considerate of you, but I think I'll be fine on my own."

"Suit yourself," Huffer said as he jumped off the table on which he had been sitting and headed toward the exit, not before addressing Thundercracker with the hand gesture he had described. It was curious how some Transformers had adopted certain human mannerisms, and not precisely the best ones.

From his place, sitting on one of the berths of the Repair Bay, Thundercracker ignored the insult. He had seen Rumble doing that same rude gesture to Skywarp during a skirmish, but in that moment it was the last thing on his processor. Being repaired by Ratchet as if he were another Autobot was proving to be a very disturbing experience.

Since he had become a Decepticon, Thundercracker had been injured several times, some of them very seriously, but he had always felt more like an object than like a patient. Hook was an excellent surgeon engineer and not particularly sadistic as his fame announced, but his perfectionism had more to do with his own ego than with the welfare of his patients, who he actually hated to repair. Unlike Hook, Ratchet seemed to enjoy what he did, like if he found satisfaction in his medical practice and not just a way to show his superiority.

With the layers of the back of his hand removed and his inner circuitry exposed, Thundercracker couldn't understand why such an insignificant part of his structure could be so important. He was sure Hook wouldn't have even bothered in revising that kind of injury, and he would have agreed with the Constructicon. Such a little malfunction could be repaired perfectly well by his auto repair circuits in one or two cycles, but for some reason Ratchet seemed to care, focused not only on the excellence of his work, but on preventing any trace of pain or physical discomfort for his patient also.

"I'm worried about your thumb… move it again… mmmhh… just what I thought… I'm afraid I'll have to replace the entire driving circuitry of your hand."

"That's not necessary. I'm sure my auto repair circuits…"

"Are you the medic here, Decepticon?"

"No, but…"

"Then you'd do well in shutting your vocalizer."

Fury, again. Thundercracker would have liked to shout at the Autobot, telling him that maybe he wasn't a slagging medic, but that he had the slagging right to express his slagging opinion about his slagging hand…

But anger disappeared faster this time, and soon Thundercracker fell into a state of bizarre peace as Ratchet replaced the damaged circuits of his hand. It was a new experience to have a surgeon repairing him with authentic concern. Then he remembered that Ratchet wasn't a military medic, but one of so many Autobots that had been forced to replace their scalpels with weapons. Respect toward the ill-humored Autobot rose as an automatic reaction.

Suddenly, Ratchet was motionless, looking with surprise at Thundercracker's arm.

"You weren't created as a Seeker, were you?"

A wave of discomfort easily replaced the former peace. Within Thundercracker's hate list, being questioned about his origins was very close to the top.

Lying was always an option, but not even the awkwardness of the moment justified falling into a practice he had always disapproved of, even though it was an important part of the Decepticon protocol. Besides, Ratchet was a medic. Hiding the truth would have done nothing to help his already nonexistent credibility.

"No, I wasn't," Thundercracker replied dryly.

"That's what I thought. I have never repaired a Seeker before, but your inner circuitry is different to the blueprints I have of your kind in my data banks. You look more like a…"

"Ground pounder?" Thundercracker roughly interrupted, blatantly using the offensive nickname that Seekers used when referring to Transformers that were unable to fly.

Curiously, his comment didn't seem to upset Ratchet. "I was going to say non-flying Transformer."

"Same thing, different name."

"I see that being reformatted into a Seeker also gave you the vanity of the fliers. Or did you have that before?"

Thundercracker didn't reply. The last thing he needed was an Autobot questioning his personality component. Air… flying was what he really needed at that moment. All that separated him from the precious freedom was the minuscule device attached to his neck that kept him in a status of undefined castration. Perhaps it was time to send everything to the pit.

"Anyway, you should eliminate insults like that one from your memory banks. Nobody here will consider them funny."

Thundercracker grimaced. "I see. I can't call you ground pounders but you can call me Decepticon scum."

"Precisely. Because that's what you still are, aren't you? A piece of Decepticon scum?"

Thundercracker would have liked to answer with a firm negative, but in that moment his identity couldn't have been more diluted.

Of course, Ratchet took his silence as an answer. "See? I told you. 'Once a Decepticon, always a Decepticon'."

"If that's what you think, then why are you repairing me?" Thundercracker counterattacked. "And why did you help me before? Your teammates were about to tear me apart."

Ratchet's face became bitter again. "Excuse me? _Help you? _I'm going to say this only once and make sure your big bad processor understands it: I would never help a Decepticreep. If I took you out of there it was only because if Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had inserted your wings up your tailpipe, I was going to be the one to put your pieces back together. And believe me when I say that I was busy enough before you came up with the brilliant idea of coming here playing the deserter…"

"I am not playing!"

"Whatever. The only thing you are doing is agitating the mood here, so don't complain if one of these cycles you wake up welded to a wall."

The hand that Ratchet was repairing turned into a fist. "Of course. What could I expect from the honorable Autobot justice…?"

"Oh, spare me your irony and your cheap Decepticon propaganda! Were you expecting us to receive you palming your shoulder, then? There is no Autobot in this base who you haven't damaged in the past, so don't blame my friends if they treat you like slag."

Suddenly, the old argument about being a soldier wasn't convincing enough. Thundercracker had created that false zone of comfort many millenniums ago to justify all the dishonourable actions in which he had taken part. Losing the veil before his optics was proving to be a revealing experience, but also very painful.

The slaughter of civilians was the one thing that had prevented him from having one single complete recharge cycle since the beginning of the war. Of course he was aware that he may owe one or many innocent lives to his new hosts. Continuing to deny it was impossible.

"I can't change the past," he simply said.

Ratchet shook his head slightly. "There never were words easier than those."

Thundercracker knew the Autobot was right, but for the moment he couldn't say anything else. It wasn't with words how he would find redemption.

"What about you?" he asked before he realized what he was saying.

"What?"

"What about you?" Thundercracker repeated, unable to locate the origin of that thing inside of him that had nothing to do with cold logic. "Have you lost someone you cared about during the war?"

Ratchet didn't reply. Thundercracker should have known. Now that masks were beginning to fall, he realized that one of the first enemies he had to defeat was his own arrogance.

"Was it a femme?" Thundercracker was pushing too hard and he knew it, but there was no turning back.

"My bondmate," Ratchet said with the shadow of a voice.

Thundercracker feared his next question, but he couldn't stop anymore. "Was I involved?"

Ratchet stared firmly at the Decepticon. "If you were, you wouldn't be functioning today."

Thundercracker nodded slowly. It was his turn for silence. He understood vengeance; it had been embedded into his processor like a value, and he wasn't as naïve to believe the Autobots were free of such feelings.

Uncomfortable astro seconds of silence passed until the main layer of the back of the Decepticon's hand closed with a dry sound.

"I have finished," Ratchet said. "Move your fingers, one by one, slowly… Good, now let's try the joints."

Thundercracker's fingers felt numb because of the pain killers that were still flowing through his fuel line, but he grabbed the small metallic roller that Ratchet handed him and squeezed it as strongly as he could.

"You are stronger than an average Seeker," Ratchet said as he looked at the readings that the potency meter was giving. "At least according to what my data banks say. I wasn't wrong about your origins after all."

The new mention of his origins wasn't as annoying as the one before. "Can I go now?"

"Yes, just make sure to stay away from trouble."

Thundercracker stood up and started to walk toward the door. When Ratchet spoke again, his voice had a tone so firm and honest that the Seeker couldn't avoid feeling all his servos freezing.

"I understand that your creator was killed by Autobots. Then you know that some animosities are unable to be forgiven."

Thundercracker continued giving his back to Ratchet, but slowly shook his head.

"Autobot hands didn't kill my father. I killed him myself."

Then Thundercracker left. He couldn't have spoken more; he didn't expect any answer either. The door closed behind him, darkening Ratchet's face.

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It was strange, but Skywarp couldn't locate the origin of the pain.

His processor wasn't being very helpful either; as a matter of fact, it couldn't have been more confusing. According to his inner scans, he didn't have any injury, nothing was malfunctioning… But the pain was there, intense, continuous, devastating… Something was breaking inside of him, crumbling in pieces.

Everything around him was darkness. But he wasn't alone. Before him, beside the narrow crack in the wall, was Thundercracker. His outline was being bathed by lights that were coming from outside.

"TC…" Skywarp said weakly.

"Ssshh."

Somehow, Skywarp managed to get on one knee. "I think I'm wounded, slaggit…"

"Silence. The enemy is close."

Skywarp remained quiet. One of his legs was trembling.

"I don't hear anything," he whispered after a while.

"You never notice anything, Warp, until things are right above your head."

Skywarp tried to get on his feet but he failed. It wasn't only the pain, but the weakness. He didn't even remember how he had ended up inside that crumbled building, defending a position that seemed indefensible. Thundercracker was right when he called him absentminded. Anything could have attacked him… he just hadn't seen it coming.

Thundercracker continued staring outside. Only he knew what was stalking within the shadows. The curious thing was that both of his shoulder-mounted automatic incendiary guns were hanging flaccidly beside his arms.

"TC…"

Thundercracker turned around and acknowledged his wingmate, his entire frame being illuminated by the lights coming from outside, that seemed to have increased their intensity. It was then when Skywarp noticed it. There was something different in Thundercracker. He looked the same, but certainly there was something different… an abysm that Skywarp wouldn't be able to continue denying anymore.

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Warp," Thundercracker said. It was easy to recognize the sadness in his voice.

"W…what?"

"It will hurt you for a while, but you will get used to it. Somehow you always knew it too. It was my destiny."

The thing outside the building shone in all its splendor. Thundercracker's melancholic face was illuminated, but it wasn't his face that Skywarp saw. He saw his wings… exhibiting brutally two red insignias…

"TC… but what the slag…?" Skywarp stammered, his optics fixated on the two Autobot symbols on his best friend's frame.

Both of Skywarp's incendiary guns rose automatically, aiming toward the one mech he had ever considered a friend.

Thundercracker didn't react. His sad stare descended to the floor.

"I would have never betrayed you, Warp."

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Skywarp's systems activated with so much violence that for a moment he thought he had actually shot. There was no abyss beneath him, but he continued feeling as lost as he had felt in that dream that was still invading his processor with its accursed images.

He lifted his head from the computer's console on which he had been leaning, the rest of his body spread over a chair in a very uncomfortable position. He didn't remember when he had collapsed there. The only thing inside his processor was the slow pace of the breems, the empty quarters, the door that didn't open…

He remembered Thundercracker being attacked by the other Decepticons, but mostly he remembered himself not doing anything to help him.

_I would have never betrayed you, Warp._

A furious punch shook the console, barely reflecting the frustration that was invading Skywarp's spark. But he didn't have time to find relief through violence, the only way he knew. The door hissed open, but his hopes of seeing his best friend coming in vanished when the hated figure of Starscream appeared under the threshold.

"I should have imagined you'd be here," Starscream said disdainfully. "What else could be expected from you, sentimental fool?"

Skywarp got up and glanced at Starscream with all the hatred he had been collecting since the cycle before. "The question is what the slag you are doing here, Screamer. These are Thundercracker's personal quarters."

"So you spent the entire night cycle here, waiting for your friend? Touching," Starscream snorted as he walked toward the computer. "Let me guess: Thundercracker didn't reply your attempts of communication and you don't have the slightest idea of where he is."

Skywarp growled but he didn't reply, feeling worse every astro second.

Starscream shook his head with deception. "Just what I thought. I don't know why I don't understand once and for all that there is nothing inside that empty head of yours that actually works."

Skywarp wasn't someone who ignored insults, but in that moment he had other priorities. "You didn't answer my question, Screamer! What in the pit are you doing here?"

Starscream opened a small hatch on his left wrist and connected a cable into the interface of Thundercracker's computer. "Looking for evidence. Isn't it obvious?"

It was clear that Starscream was expecting Skywarp's attack, but he didn't move as fast as he usually would have done in a case like that. Skywarp roughly seized him by the waist and threw him aside, shooting the computer before his Air Commander could get up.

"Idiot!" Starscream yelled at him from the floor, covering himself from the debris of the shattered computer. "What do you expect to get playing the loyal fool? Your dearest friend is already stuck in slag up to his neck!"

"We'll see about that, you traitor!" Skywarp replied, pouncing at the fallen.

Starscream received him with a strong kick to the middle section, hurling him backward. "Traitor? You call me traitor? You couldn't be more blind! Understand once and for all that Thundercracker is not going to enter that door ever again! Are you so stupid to not realize what is happening here?"

Skywarp knelt, unable to fight the lack of equilibrium in his body and undecided about shooting Starscream or letting him speak. "What's happening is that you're a poisonous piece of filth and I allowed you to wrap me in your lies! Slaggit, I let you and the others beat the slag out of TC!! But it won't happen again, do you hear me?!"

Starscream got up and grabbed his torso, that seemed to hurt him.

"Look for him in the Ark," he simply said.

Skywarp got up too, unable to repress the tremor of his body. Suddenly he saw Thundercracker beside that crack on the wall, starting to turn toward him.

"W… what…?" he stammered.

"Look for him in the Ark! And not precisely as a prisoner."

That was all. Skywarp pounced at Starscream with killer fury. It was like being welcomed by the two Autobot insignias of his dream like two violent slaps.

"What's wrong, Skywarp?" Starscream mocked, struggling against his wingmate. "Truth can be quite painful, am I righ…? Aaaarrrrgh!"

Starscream fell to his knees, grabbing his torso again with a shivering hand. It was then when Skywarp saw the deep laceration on his face and his cracked cockpit.

"Did Megatron do this to you?"

Starscream growled. "Who else, you screwhead…"

"Let me guess. He made you pay for that retarded circus you put together to lynch TC…"

"If you are not going to say anything remotely intelligent you better shut it, Skywarp! There hasn't been one single solar cycle that I haven't cursed my luck… I had enough trouble having an idiot in my trine, and now I have a betrayer…"

"Enough! I won't tear you apart in such a state, Screamer, but you better speak clear. You bark too much about me talking without using my processor first, but you are much worse."

Starscream leaned on the smoking computer and managed to get up, pain expressing itself through the features of his face. "I don't have definitive proof, _yet, _but if you don't want to be on the losing side of all this, I recommend you to stay away, Skywarp."

"What the frag are you talking about?"

"It doesn't matter what Megatron says, I am the one who has the right to discipline a dysfunctional element."

"Thundercracker is not a traitor, Starscream!" Skywarp's voice resounded with fury, but only he knew that the feeling was directed toward himself.

"He'll come back, and I'll help him to get even with you and the others," he finished as he walked toward the exit. He had had enough.

Starscream's voice could be heard again just as the door was hissing open, surreal, like inside Skywarp's dream. For a moment he thought Starscream was leaning out from the crack on the wall, right beside Thundercracker and his two accursed insignias.

"Thundercracker is not coming back, Skywarp, not as you expect. When the moment comes, I will give the order to hunt him. And killing him… that is an honour I have reserved for you."

_To be continued._

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_Thanks a bunch for your reviews. They are always an inspiration._


	13. Crime or freedom

_Hello and sorry for taking some time in updating this story. To be honest, I was going nowhere with this chapter, but fortunately I saw the light. I deeply thank iratepirate for not only betaining, but giving me the clue I needed to write this update._

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**Chapter 13**

**Crime or freedom**

A snake's nest was displayed on the screen of Teletran I. They were not only lines, but pathways, ramifications… Among the forks and the dead ends, a trace of hope could be seen, although deceit was also floating.

"You're so full of slag, Decepticon."

Thundercracker rotated his chair slightly and faced Ironhide with open hostility. The weapons specialist returned the glare and continued speaking. "There's no way there's an underground Decepticon base at quadrant 4-26. That's an abandoned sector in Cybertron, dysfunctional even before the war, not to mention I personally have patrolled it thousands of times."

"Have you patrolled it during the past vorns?" Thundercracker snarled. "There is a hidden base there, with enough firepower to blow ten ships like the Ark."

Ironhide separated from the console he had been leaning on and stood before Thundercracker, nothing more than an empty space between them. Incalculable rancor was reflected in one single glare.

"Well, I don't believe you."

Impotence circulated freely through Thundercracker's frame like boiling energon. Very few times had the dividing lines been so clear. It didn't matter how many truths he used to try to buy his freedom, the Autobots would listen only lies.

"My word may be worth less than rust to you, Autobot, but if you apply at least some military reasoning instead of your stupid prejudices…"

"Don't you dare to speak to me about military reasoning, Decepticon scum! I was already an experienced soldier when you were not even a glitch on Vector Sigma's circuits…!"

"Enough, Ironhide," Optimus Prime firmly said, sat before Teletran I. "Thundercracker, when was the last time you updated this information?"

"Five solar cycles ago. As part of the Aerial Elite it was one of my duties to keep myself informed of any movement of our troops on Cybertron. The combat stations are constantly changing locations, but the arsenals have barely moved during the last twenty thousand vorns. Shockwave is very conservative concerning the handling of war resources and Megatron generally allows him complete freedom in those decisions."

From his seat beside his Commander, Prowl highlighted a series of dots on the screen. "The distribution of the combat stations doesn't follow any pattern, but that has some logic. Obviously Megatron doesn't despise the surprise factor."

Optimus Prime nodded. "The security of our borders worries me. Despite the apparent disorder of those combat stations, it's obvious that Megatron is targeting Iacon."

"He's not," Thundercracker said. "At least not yet. In order to successfully attack Iacon, Megatron would have to use most of the energy supplies that Shockwave has in Polyhex, and he would never dare to leave the center of his Empire unprotected. His immediate objectives are the small orbital torus states."

"'Course… so he can slowly devour them, like vermin… nothing weird there, considering that Megatron is not a warrior but a mercenary… Oh, I'm so sorry if I offended your dear leader, Thundercracker."

The Seeker cast an irate glare at Ironhide but decided not to reply to the provocation. He had enough trouble dealing with the sensation of filthiness that had impregnated him since the very first moment he had started giving confidential information to the Autobots. More than assuming his new role of traitor, he was selling himself. For protection, dignity or revenge… He didn't know exactly what his price was, even less if he would have any reward. To continue functioning wasn't enough.

"There is something that concerns me," Optimus Prime said. "If Megatron knows you are here, the information you are providing us could lead us into a trap."

"As I said, my departure from the Nemesis base wasn't under the best circumstances, but still I'm sure nobody is aware of my desertion yet. Maybe there are suspicions but…"

"The perfect excuse for us to trust you and go directly into an ambush," Ironhide insisted.

Everything had a limit. The unstable patience of Thundercracker was not the exception.

"The information I'm giving you may mean the end of the war! Have you thought about that?!" he screamed.

"Yeah, the end… with your cause as the winner, right?"

"Ironhide, I said it was enough," Optimus Prime said, his tone of voice not as calmed as usual. "Manifestations of aggression or distrust won't be tolerated in this base."

Ironhide didn't reply, but his grimace spoke for itself.

The Autobot leader turned his attention to the Seeker again. "I deeply thank you for your help, Thundercracker. The information you have given us is highly valuable and we will make sure to make prudent use of it."

Thundercracker nodded and got up from his seat. He had understood perfectly the signal for his departure. Obviously he wasn't expecting the Autobot High Command to make important plans in his presence. Despite his efforts, he was still very far away from the circle of trust amongst his former enemies.

"Thundercracker."

Optimus Prime's voice made him stop on his way to the exit of the War Room.

"I indeed appreciate your cooperation," the Autobot leader continued. "And I also understand that your first cycles in this base have been hard for you."

Thundercracker shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I'm not complaining."

"Still, I know you have been through disagreeable incidents, not to mention you have been forced to remain grounded. I'm aware that Seekers need to fly constantly in order to keep themselves active and mentally healthy. I apologize for keeping you out of your element and I grant you authorization to return to it."

Thundercracker couldn't repress the expression of astonishment and joy that formed on his facial plates.

"You will be allowed to fly for three breems every solar cycle," Optimus Prime continued, "as long as there are no enemy energy signatures close. I will make Wheeljack modify the electromagnetic inhibitor you have on your neck to release your turbines and thrusters from their restrictions."

The sky would be at the reach of his wings again… Thundercracker felt so full of hope that he didn't mind about using a leash.

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Like a missile, Thundercracker submerged hungrily into the only place that he associated with freedom. His nose cone cut the air as the recent events and insecurities moved toward some rear part of his processor.

He missed the air's embrace around his structure the same way he would have missed a lover. Those invisible arms that had hugged him in so many victories and defeats knew no treason. The sky was the only place in which death could be sweet.

Thundercracker increased his speed. He wasn't the fastest Seeker, but he was proud of his velocity. Unlike others that were created as fliers, he had never taken for granted any of the abilities acquired the moment his wings had been attached to his frame. He had flown millions of times since that blessed day, but each one of them had been special, each one an encounter with glory.

The sky didn't judge him, didn't point accusing fingers toward him. It hadn't done all those times he had returned with his weapons still smoking after finishing countless innocent lives and it wasn't doing it now, when he had betrayed the cause he forced himself to associate with justice.

Two white dots appeared on the screen of his radar, showing the uncomfortable proximity of his guards. Of course he hadn't expected that Optimus Prime would allow him complete freedom during his first flight as an official deserter, but still the energy signatures of Silverbolt and Skydive felt like filth inside his hydraulics.

He accelerated even more. If those imitations of fliers pretended to follow him, they would have to make an effort. He actually never had the chance to truly test the Aerialbots' flying abilities. It was ironic that he was about to do it under such special circumstances.

Silverbolt was left behind almost immediately, but Skydive increased his speed drastically, managing to keep his distance with Thundercracker. In jet mode, the Seeker wasn't physically able to smirk, but the emotion was welcomed. If the immature Aerialbot was looking for a challenge, he would have it.

So Thundercracker searched for a target. He found it some mechano miles to the north. A mountain formation, irregular and sliced in deceptive craters.

Perfect.

His com link clicked. His first thought was Skywarp. Perhaps the electromagnetic inhibitor that the Autobots had attached to him hadn't been able to block the private channel he shared with his former wingmate… But no, the voice that resounded through the com link definitely wasn't friendly.

"_Thundercracker, you are leaving the authorized area. Return to your original course immediately," _Silverbolt dryly said.

It wasn't difficult to generate a small but believable dose of static as an answer.

"_Thundercracker…"_

"_Interferen… detected… Chang… quency… transmission… request…"_ Thundercracker finally said, adding more static and resorting to his experience in the art of pretending.

"_That's an old and dirty trick! Return immediately, Thundercracker! It's an order!"_

The Seeker didn't respond and closed the communication.

_Order? _Since when did a beginner give him orders? The accursed imitation of a flier, afraid of heights… Such a coward didn't deserve his wings. Thundercracker repressed the desire to open the frequency again to tell Silverbolt exactly where he could stick his orders.

His com link clicked again, but it wasn't the serene voice of the Aerialbot leader that made itself heard.

"_Okay clown, let's see what you have," _Skydive said.

"_Prepare your turbines, Aerialbot, and you may learn something… if you survive,"_ Thundercracker replied, sick of resisting provocations.

The first mountain was in sight. That was Thundercracker's destination. He flew around it easily, making sure to get close enough as to make the ground vibrate.

Skydive did the same. It didn't escape Thundercracker's attention that the Aerialbot had imitated his maneuver exactly.

"_Alright Autobot punk, if following my flying patterns is what you want, I will give you something to remember. Lesson number one in progress."_

Thundercracker twisted drastically without decreasing his speed and changed his course toward a mountain to his left, a maneuver that wouldn't have been easy even for Starscream himself. Skydive copied the movement, or at least he tried. Thundercracker noticed with satisfaction that the Aerialbot deviated almost forty degrees during the turn, enough to lose his course for a moment but not so much as to crash.

"_Lesson number two. Watch and learn,"_ Thundercracker said as he headed toward a narrow crevice formed between two mountains.

"_Lead the way, Decepticreep."_

The reduced space demanded the abilities of an expert. And that was what Thundercracker was, a creature of the skies. No one would ridicule him in the element he had chosen as his own. _No one._

"_Skydive, Thundercracker, stop your useless display of exhibitionism immediately!" _Silverbolt yelled through the com link, but when Thundercracker noticed that Skydive was also ignoring the order, he went for his objective without hesitation.

His wings grazed boulders and lifted a cloud of dust, but the obstacle was cleanly surpassed. The childish pride that invaded Thundercracker reminded him of the satisfaction he used to feel every time he succeeded in the deadly aerial practices he had gone through in the Military Academy. For once, he didn't feel ashamed of allowing himself feelings forbidden by his former rigid code of honour.

A furious engine announced the determination of his pursuer. Amazingly, Skydive entered the crevice and managed to keep his trajectory.

But Thundercracker knew better. At the end of the obstacle there was a protrusion that obliged an immediate flight course correction. If the Aerialbot hadn't practiced that kind of maneuver, it would be impossible for him to make it guided only by his instinct.

And he wasn't mistaken. A strident but delicious sound sealed Skydive's failure. His impact against the protrusion was enough to make his exit from the crevice much more disgraceful than his entrance. He dropped down and had to transform to prevent an explosion following his contact with the ground.

Thundercracker reduced his speed and floated peacefully. It didn't matter if that had been a victory or not. All he knew was that he needed it.

"_Have you had enough, Autobot?"_ he mocked.

A meteor coming from the boulders was the answer. _"As a matter of fact, no. I'm waiting for lesson number three, if you dare to give it."_

"_Flying with novices is not my specialty, but I'm willing to make an exception in your case."_

"_I appreciate it, Decepticon creep. Look at the coordinates 1-24 on your radar. Do you see it?"_

A natural tunnel, formed between two small mountains. It wasn't particularly narrow but it was very low. Any flier that dared to enter would have to do it with the lower part of his fuselage grazing the ground.

"_I see it,"_ Thundercracker responded. _"See if you can imitate me without destroying yourself this time, novice. Full speed!"_

"_I can do anything you do… and stop calling me novice!!"_

Feeling the need to form a smirk on the deactivated components of his hidden face, Thundercracker headed toward his new target. Flying at low heights was not his specialty, but he would give that loudmouth Autobot his final lesson and would delight in seeing him crash.

But the tunnel turned into a ring of fire before Thundercracker could reach it. He was forced to make a violent twist to avoid the hell it had become and had to make a big effort to avoid crashing into the mountains. Gravity reminded him that it was his enemy as he was obliged to transform into his robotic mode and to land unceremoniously on the ground, managing at least to land on his two feet.

A cry of triumph could be heard over his head as Air Raid blocked the sun for a moment, his weapons still smoking and claiming to be the winner of a competition he hadn't been invited to.

"Yeah!" he screamed, transforming into his bipedal mode and landing some mechano meters away from Thundercracker. "In your face, Decepticon scum! That'll teach you!"

"Air Raid, you tinhead, you ruined the fun! I was about to show that Decepticon how to fly inside a tunnel," Skydive complained, transforming and landing beside his teammate.

"Don't thank me. If I hadn't intervened, you would be a pile of spare parts by now."

"At least you could have allowed _him _to turn into that pile of spare parts."

"Ha… I didn't think about that…" Air Raid said, laughing and scratching his head.

"Tell me something new…"

"Doesn't matter. Any mistake can always be corrected. Are you in the mood to kick Decepticon aft?"

"Always!"

Both Aerialbots turned toward Thundercracker, their fists and rancor ready to fulfill their threats.

"When we finish with you, you won't be able to tell your face from your aft. You better start running now, _Thundercraphead," _Air Raid said.

Thundercracker's optics shone with a hatred that was very familiar to him. "Not in this or any other Universe will you see me running from you, geek."

Air Raid didn't need further motivation to pounce at the Seeker. Both fliers fell to the ground in the middle of a cloud of rocks and dust.

"Sorry if I mess with your fuselage!" Air Raid snarled as he hit Thundercracker's face.

Thundercracker responded the same way. He didn't even know why he was fighting, what he was defending. He hadn't expected any consideration from the Aerialbots and, until then, they hadn't disappointed such expectations. He was aware that, despite their youth and lack of experience, the team of Autobot fliers already had a heavy burden of hatred toward the Decepticon Seekers. Having been tricked by Starscream was something they seemed to be far away from forgetting.

The fight wouldn't have been complicated if Skydive had been patient in waiting for his turn. But he wasn't, and decided to participate in the skirmish and vent his frustration by impacting his fists on the hated structure of the Decepticon.

Two rivals… the same resentment. Soon, Thundercracker was receiving more punches than the ones he was giving, but he had more experience, he was the strongest Seeker… He wouldn't allow two pretend fliers to claim anything remotely close to a victory over him.

He lifted Air Raid from the ground and threw him brutally, making him crash against a big boulder. But almost immediately he was back on the ground again, knocked down by Skydive who grabbed him fiercely by the waist.

The torque rifle of Skydive pressed Thundercracker's cheek before the Seeker had time to react.

"Scum bags like you don't deserve the wings they are wearing," the Aerialbot spat. "You stain the beauty of aerial combat with your mere existence. Give me one single reason not to blow your fragging head off right now."

"My weapons are not functional," Thundercracker calmly said. "Is this the way you honour your insignia? It doesn't surprise me… You have never been very proud of it after all, neither have your companions."

"Oh, shut up! Don't talk to me about insignias, you slaggin' Decepticon filth! How you dare to fly among us exhibiting yours? What kind of cynical lunatic you are?"

"The kind of lunatic that succeeded where you failed."

Thundercracker's small quip succeeded. The single mention of Skydive's failure in imitating the Seeker's movements was enough to break his concentration, and that was all Thundercracker needed to throw a handful of dust into the face of his adversary and to get rid of him with a strong punch. It didn't matter what Thundercracker believed of the Decepticon cause; some of its treacherous techniques were highly effective.

Skydive fell to the ground, momentarily blind but with his combat spirit burning. He shot his torque rifle and Thundercracker was mechano millimeters away from losing his head.

The Seeker was about to pounce at the Aerialbot to disarm him when a firm voice stopped him.

"THIS ENDS NOW! Back off immediately, Thundercracker!"

Silverbolt's figure honoured its name, monopolizing the attention of the sunrays with his shinning fuselage.

Thundercracker obeyed. "Self defense," he said. "As far as I know, it is the right of every warrior."

"It is, when said warrior doesn't fall into indiscipline. Did I or didn't I give you an order 0.7 breems ago?"

"There was interference in…"

"I thought I had made it clear that I didn't buy your trick! Perhaps I don't have your vorns of experience flying, but I am not stupid! I truly hope that this was the first and last time you lie to me."

Thundercracker bowed his head. Suddenly he was feeling ashamed. The time had come to face the consequences of his impulsive actions, a situation completely new to him; he was _never _impulsive. Perhaps the Autobots made his most hidden part surface… freedom.

"Your daily flights will be interrupted for the next seven solar cycles," Silverbolt sentenced.

Low hit. Thundercracker couldn't help complaining. "But…"

"No buts. Flying is not a right, but a privilege. If you are not responsible with the favours Optimus Prime is granting you, then you don't deserve them. Seven terrestrial days, Thundercracker! Your behaviour will dictate if they become more."

Thundercracker repressed his desire to attack the pompous Aerialbot leader and managed to contain his anger in a pair of clenched fists. Those Autobots were so fortunate that his weapons were locked…

"That's it! Teach him his place, Silverbolt!"

Silverbolt turned to Skydive. "That goes for you too, Skydive. Unless there is a mission, you will remain grounded for the next fourteen solar cycles."

"Me?? But why?!"

"As far as I can remember, you too disobeyed my orders."

"But, but… you can't give me double the punishment you gave to that Decepticon creep. It's not fair!"

"As an Aerialbot, I expect from you a more honorable demeanor than the one I would expect from a Decepticon. If you want justice, start applying it yourself. Indiscipline deserves no rewards."

Skydive shook his head in frustration and shot a glance of hate toward Thundercracker, who didn't soften his satisfaction.

"As for you, Air Raid, I'm waiting for an explanation as to why you didn't follow my instructions to remain in the base."

The battered Aerialbot got up, still shaking dust from his back and head. "We didn't mean to disobey you, but we believed you and Skydive could need our help if this Decepticon tried something. Don't forget that he and his Seeker fellas already tricked us once."

"_We_, Air Raid? Where are Slingshot and Fireflight?"

Air Raid grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "Uh… Slingshot stayed behind, assisting Fireflight… He had a… eh… small accident. But don't worry, he's alright."

Silverbolt shook his head. Thundercracker didn't need to be a telepath to realize that the Aerialbot was going through one of those moments in which he hated having been made leader of that rebellious group of second class fliers. Not assertive enough and fearful of the skies… the Autobot's honour was definitely made of a different alloy than the one that forged the rigid Decepticon discipline.

"We'll talk about all this later," Silverbolt finally said. "Now let's return to the base. Thundercracker, you will fly between Air Raid and me. Skydive, reunite with Slingshot at the location of Fireflight's accident and assist him in case he can't fly back by himself."

The flight back to the Ark was made in complete silence. Thundercracker tried to enjoy the sky, but it was impossible. The thought of not flying for maybe more than seven solar cycles was too painful. It seemed that he would continue being the eternal foreigner, the one that belonged nowhere.

_To be continued._

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_I made a small mention of the events that happened in the G1 episode "War dawn", in which the Aerialbots showed admiration toward the Seekers and didn't believe they were evil, a situation Starscream made good use of to set them up. This was my first time writing the Aerialbots and it was quite fun! Let me know your opinions. See you soon!_


	14. Between oblivion and revelations

**Chapter 14**

**Between oblivion and revelations**

_Iacon, Military Academy, Special Unit 000, corridor A-81,__ fifty thousand vorns ago._

A place that didn't exist.

A soldier making his way to uncertainty.

A warrior designed for greatness.

The wings on his back felt natural. Sometime in the future, in some other world, he would know about angels.

But not yet.

For a place that didn't exist, the unit was full of silences. One of Cybertron's moons could be seen through the hatches on the wall.

A last gust of his former life. Every step was a farewell, every new corridor moving him away from his roots, turning him into a stranger to himself. The future was cloaked at the end of the maze he was walking.

But he would be part of it.

At the end of the corridor, a ghost. How could there be a place that didn't exist without a ghost? Logic had to prevail even in the realm of the impossible.

A reflection. The stranger looked almost exactly like him.

A Seeker.

A tetrajet model, the one he had been reformatted into.

Treacherous beams of light illuminated the foreign and yet familiar frame. Black and purple paintjob, a big smirk on his face.

It was like facing a mirror. The stranger stood in front of him, suddenly stopping his frenetic run.

"Think fast!" the stranger said as he put something in the cadet's hand.

Then he disappeared in a flash of purple light.

So it hadn't been an illusion. He was a ghost after all, a myth, a teleporter…

Heavy footsteps turned into visible threats. Three figures following the trace of the ghost… More Seekers, but not class A tetrajets. Their heads were cone shaped.

"Where did the fragger go?!"

"Slag! He teleported again…"

"Ramjet, look! That guy has the remote control!"

Four pairs of optics focused on the device resting in the palm of the cadet's hand. Only one knew he was no culprit. Only one knew he was about to pay for his naïveté.

"So you are the one who detonated that grease bomb in our quarters!! We should have known Skywarp had an accomplice…"

"Enough talking, Dirge! Get him!"

_Frag._

Then pain happened. Three against one, not fair by any means. Fists like cannons impacted his frame. That was not a regular fight between cadets, that he knew when his cockpit was cracked.

So he fought back. His processor computed anger so easily, momentarily disregarding uncertainties and expectations. Was his pride at risk, was his life? No matter. If things were like that, he would adjust. He would adjust to anything.

His fists found no rest. Face and chest plates were his targets; he wouldn't stop until he pulverized them. However, defeat was certain. All hopes of victory, perhaps of survival, were almost gone when an extra set of hands joined the fight. The purple flash was barely distinguishable, outshined by the sparks that jumped from his armour as he was impacted again and again.

He was pushed backwards. Then mist appeared, followed by the absolute lack of everything. Space didn't exist anymore, neither did time. He could still see his body, but it was blurry, it _felt _blurry. Limbs didn't weigh anything, wings were effigies of their former shapes…

He was sure he had reached the Inferno.

Then he noticed the hand, closed around his wrist.

When everything finished, he could feel ground beneath his feet again. He fell to his knees, his equilibrium circuits at the edge of the overload. His fingers scratched the floor, expressing his desperation with ten disordered lines.

The feet before him stepped back, shivering. He managed to raise his stunned head and saw the reason for his companion's tremor.

He was _laughing._

Bursting out in laughter would be a more proper term.

"Oh, frag! Oh, slaggin' hell! That was slaggin' funny!! You should have seen your face when Thrust cracked your cockpit!"

Dizziness dissipating, equilibrium chip beginning to stabilize… face plates forming a frown.

"They must have confused you with me, or not… Who cares? We got them good, huh?"

He didn't remember having being so fast. In an astro klik he was on his feet, his fist moving by itself and finding the mocking features of that clown.

The black and purple Seeker stepped back and grabbed his face, the attack taking him by surprise.

"Aaarrrggh…what the frag?!! Why in the pit did you do that?!"

A prankster… Vector Sigma had given that Seeker the miracle of teleportation and he was a slagging prankster.

"You set me up!" the claim came.

"Why you… I saved you!"

"From your own stupid dirty trick!"

"You ungrateful screwhead…Do you have any idea of what Ramjet's gang would have done to you if I hadn't saved your aft?"

Fists clenched… anticipating the pleasure of impacting that moronic geek again…

"Hey, you feel ok? You look dizzy… That was your first time teleporting, right? It's such a miracle you didn't empty your fuel tanks… Now that would have been funny!"

"Shut up. Where are we?"

"I really don't know. I just put some distance between us and the Coneheads, you know?"

So many questions. So little patience. He searched for tolerance.

"We are still in the Military Academy, I presume."

"Yeah, for sure. I can't jump as long as to teleport outside… not yet, that is. See, they're gonna gimme this chip…"

"Where is corridor A-81? I'm supposed to report to my superior officer at the unit's headquarters."

"Superior officer? Huh… that would be me."

"_What? _No slagging way!"

The black Seeker burst into laughter again. "You're right, I'm not… but I could have fooled you, if you weren't a tetrajet, of course... Are you here for the program? What's your name, by the way?"

"None of your business."

"Heh, I think it is. You see, I think we're going to be wingmates."

_Frag. Again._

"Are you… assigned…?"

"To unit triple zero? Yeah… I'm Skywarp."

"St… Thundercracker."

"Nice meeting you, TC."

"My denomination is Thundercracker."

"Sure, TC. Come on, let's go. I'll teleport us back. Try to hold your equilibrium circuits this time."

"Forget it. I'd prefer to reach my destination on my own."

"Don't be such a tinhead. We are near the arsenals, and the Triplechangers are always wandering around. And trust me, you don't want to find the Triplechangers on your own."

_Triplechangers_… another myth. Just what was Unit 000 exactly?

"You said you didn't know where we are."

"I lied."

"By the Matrix… are you always this annoying?"

Skywarp laughed. "Whenever I can be, yes. But hey, don't get mad. I'll make it up to you. There is this tavern that I know where femmes refuel you using their pleasure ports…"

"Are you going to talk nonsense all cycle? Thanks to your irresponsibility and idiotic processor, I'm very late now."

"Gee, relax… Grab my shoulder and I'll teleport you back. But I have to take you to that tavern very soon. You need to stop being so stiff or you'll end up frying your circuits. And believe me, you'll need all your senses sharp in here if you want to survive the training."

"We'll see about that. Alright then, take me back. Just go easier this time."

"You got it TC, but we still have one stop before reporting to the Command Centre."

"What stop?"

"Screamer's quarters. I caught half dozen petro rabbits during our last practice in Kalis and they are howling for freedom."

"Who the slag is Screamer?" Thundercracker asked as they both disappeared in the purple light that was destined to become a familiar sight for him.

..............

_Nemesis, Decepticon Headquarters, the present._

Skywarp was strangely silent. Silence and Skywarp were not a common pair, unless he was preparing one of his sadistic pranks or, as was the current case, he was in presence of his Supreme Commander.

Fortunately for him, nobody was paying attention to his silence. All optics were focused on the big monitor of the Nemesis' main computer, in which a visual file was being played.

The quality was less than mediocre. Laserbeak hadn't been able to get any closer or he would have been detected, but the distant figures left no doubts hanging.

"See? Didn't I tell you this would happen, Megatron?! You should have let me terminate Thundercracker when I had the chance! This is all your fault!"

Megatron's facial plates didn't change from their serious and hard expression, not even when he turned around and impacted the back of his hand against his Second in Command's face, sending him to the floor.

Skywarp didn't laugh at the fallen, didn't make any acid remark. He internally wished for Megatron to continue beating Starscream until deactivation, but he knew that wouldn't happen, not when other issues were priorities.

The hit had been brutal. Starscream's cheek was dented, his wound slightly smoking.

"T…that… that was so unnecessary…" he muttered from the floor.

"You question my judgment again, and you die. Am I clear, Starscream?"

Thrust took a brave step toward his Commander. "Just say the word, Megatron, and we'll bring you the traitor's head before the end of the cycle."

Shouts of revenge reverberated across the walls of the Command Centre, supporting Thrust's suggestion.

"Not yet," Megatron said darkly, silencing his warriors. "We have other problems to resolve first. Seems that our infamous deserter has been opening his mouth plates far too much."

Soundwave stepped forward and typed a series of commands into the computer. The image of a distant Thundercracker flying between two Aerialbots was replaced with a map.

"Shockwave reports we lost two battle stations and our main base in Altihex. We also have a communication failure with one energon storage unit in Polyhex. Probabilities dictate that they are already under enemy control."

"So I see," Megatron said thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin. "It is useless to lament the facilities lost. We will focus on preventing the Autobots from advance one single mechano inch more. Soundwave, give instructions to Shockwave to relocate the positions of our underground bases and battle stations. As for the rest of you, wait for my instructions. You will receive your new assignments in less than ten breems."

"But Megatron… are we going to leave the traitor free to fly around with his new buddies?" Astrotrain asked.

"Thundercracker will go nowhere. He's far too scared to do so. Starting from now I want double vigilance on the space bridge. We will be using it constantly to reinforce our positions on Cybertron. Soundwave, coordinate the troops, except the Seekers and the Combaticons, and prepare them to abandon Earth at once. Starscream, organize surveillance shifts with Onslaught. Hunting season has just started."

Cheers resonated again. The idea of capturing the traitor and making him face justice was the boost of morale needed after losing important positions on Cybertron.

Megatron's optics shone evilly. "Dismember him, tear him apart… but I want Thundercracker alive. He has to understand the gravity of his crime before facing termination."

Starscream got up from the floor and stared triumphantly at the only Decepticon who had remained silent.

Skywarp deviated his glance. He couldn't have faced anybody in that moment.

_To be continued._

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_Beta read by iratepirate. She said I had very few typos this time! :o) _

_Thanks for reading guys. I appreciate all your comments very much._


	15. Omens in disguise

_For one of those strange reasons, yesterday I wrote three chapters in a row of this story, three that will become more because now I officially covered the gaps that were prowling everytime I wrote an update. So no more gaps and fast updates on the way! I want to thank all of you for your amazing support and company. Also a big hug to iratepirate, who has been my beta reader and a big inspiration to all my stories. _

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**Chapter 15**

**Omens in disguise**

He hated it, but Silverbolt had never been able to feel comfortable in presence of Optimus Prime.

But his reasons couldn't have been more selfish, according to his own opinion. Optimus Prime was the perfect image of kindness and justice, his comprehension and support beyond any utopian ideal. That was precisely the problem, the altar that the Aerialbot leader built in his mind every time he had to face his Supreme Commander, so elevated and unreachable.

Always, since the first moment that his optics had focused on the one to whom he owed his existence, Silverbolt had felt small. Carrier of wings that he still didn't fully understand, as afraid of skies as he was of what he considered an improvised leadership, the Aerialbot waged a daily battle against himself, against that part of him that knew he was not worthy of the authority and trust granted to him. Optimus Prime expected so much of him, but despite all the effort and the eternal struggle for perfection, Silverbolt always felt that the high standards he imposed on himself managed to stay distant from his reach.

Even in that moment, when he had been forced to face a situation he hadn't requested, he knew he was not free from guilt.

Optimus Prime received with unexpected calm the report about the incident involving Skydive, Air Raid and the Decepticon Thundercracker. But although the Autobot Supreme Commander didn't seem surprised, he had to be disappointed. Silverbolt was certain about that, as he was about him being the cause of such disappointment.

But another surprise came when the Autobot leader rotated his chair and glanced at his subordinate. He didn't know how he noticed it, but Silverbolt was sure there was a smile behind his face mask.

"Silverbolt, I apologize," Optimus Prime said with a tone of voice that resembled something of a friendly conversation instead of an official reunion. "I knew that assigning you to watch Thundercracker would put you in an uncomfortable position, not to mention disadvantaged. But considering what happened and what could have happened, you must know that your performance was impeccable. I didn't expect less from you, my friend."

Silverbolt gaped. Despite his efforts to remain stoic, he was the first to admit he could be so transparent. But it could be said to his favour that the mech before him was one not easy to trick.

"As a matter of fact, you have fulfilled my expectations so well that I'm afraid I will have to add more pressure to your already overwhelmed processor – pressure that shouldn't exist. As soon as the punishment you assigned to Thundercracker finishes, I want you to incorporate him into your aerial squad."

Unmasked astonishment could be read on Silverbolt's features. Perhaps he wouldn't have been more surprised if Optimus Prime had told him that the Autobots would surrender to the Decepticons.

"Don't misunderstand me, Silverbolt. I'm aware of the unique bond between combiner team members, but I think Thundercracker's experience and knowledge will be very valuable to the Aerialbots' growth as aerial warriors."

Silverbolt bowed his head. He knew his team hadn't matured as expected. The countless cycles of training had been very productive, but he knew the Aerialbots still weren't the aerial fortress that Optimus Prime had in mind when he had authorized their creation.

"I'll loyally follow your orders, Commander."

Once again, the Autobot leader's hidden countenance seemed to relax. "I don't want to torture you, my friend. I know there is more in your processor than what you are saying. Speak freely."

The young Concorde's shoulders relaxed. "I don't feel comfortable flying with Thundercracker. The other Aerialbots openly express their hostility to him and that will create problems… severe problems, I'm afraid."

"I have considered that, but I still think my decision is correct. I have no complaints about the Aerialbots' combat skills, but your subordinates still need to fully understand our cause and what we fight for. Constant coexistence with a former enemy will greatly benefit their maturing process, not to mention that it will also help Thundercracker during the hard adaptation process he is currently going through."

Silverbolt nodded. He was very far away from being comfortable with his new orders. Flying beside a war criminal and a terrorist occupied a very low position in his liking, but he knew Optimus Prime's reasons were valid and fair. It was true that the Aerialbots could learn a lot from Thundercracker, as humiliating as it was to accept it, and perhaps, only perhaps, something good would come out of all that madness.

……............

Dust.

That was his former elevated rank now. Dust… that vanished between his fingers, like a rusted corpse. Maybe someday, when he also became a metal reject that once had had life, insensitive gusts of wind would spread his remains. There would be no Matrix for him to become one with, not even a memory. Friends and foes would forget him, wouldn't spare one single thought to his unimportant existence.

Nothing more than dust.

Something crashed against his face. It wasn't a hit, more like an encounter. Thundercracker's optics activated to find the orange ceiling of the place he knew he could never call home.

He was flying, floating actually. At some point during his period of recharge, his thrusters had activated and he had involuntary elevated. No, it hadn't been a reflex, even less a caprice of his restricted body. He had searched for his opportunity to fly, even in such disadvantageous conditions, even locked between walls that tried to be optimistic with a simple colour.

Still unceremoniously grazing the ceiling with his cockpit, Thundercracker decided to land, even though everything was better when he wasn't touching the ground.

Immediate aversion appeared as he touched his recharge berth. At the same time, a strong need to transform into his alt mode tempted him seductively. He didn't transform, of course, doing his best to blame his reduced personal quarters for such decision.

One thing was certain. Rest was denied for him that night, as it had been for so many before.

……………….

A flat planet, and one moon… and yet that night had turned from disagreeable to tolerable. Things remained the same, though; he was surrounded by former enemies, he was a traitor to his own kind, he had been stripped of his rank and identity… Starting from zero in a less than proper place was a big disadvantage, but despite that fact that everything seemed to be against him, Thundercracker was calm. The sight of the starry sky always had that peaceful effect on him.

As he comfortably leaned on the rocky wall of the volcano that sheltered the Ark, Thundercracker smirked with something that he could recognize as irony. In just some breems he should be starting his surveillance shift in the Nemesis base, a task as tedious as it was unworthy of an air creature like him.

But he would miss that shift, as he would the rest of his duties. Perhaps he was hated in the Ark, perhaps he didn't belong there, but at least there he could have time for himself, to do nothing more than contemplate the sky and count the solar cycles until his punishment ended and he could fly gain.

In peace…

Comforting, but momentary. It was suddenly broken when a noise to his right proved how naïve he had been.

"Disobeying orders so soon, Decepticon? I thought Optimus said you couldn't abandon this base."

The Autobot twins again… Why couldn't they just leave him alone?

"The Ark is embedded into this mountain. Technically, I haven't abandoned the base," he coldly stated.

"Oh, such a smart aft," Sunstreaker spat as his optics shone with malice in the night.

"What are you doing here alone, by the way?" Sideswipe asked, standing beside his brother. "Plotting with your Decepticon fellas? Maybe we should check his comm link, Sunny, just to be sure…"

"Don't you dare touch me, Autobots," Thundercracker said. His voice had been calm, but the threatening tone was unmistakable.

Sunstreaker smirked. "Are you threatening us? What's wrong? Are you afraid we can discover your game? Very suspicious for somebody that swears to have nothing to hide."

Thundercracker's optics shone with something very related to hate. He wasn't used to being cornered. Bullying the small and the weak was a common activity amongst Decepticons, but it seemed that for those two Autobots being different was also excuse enough to be the losing part in a never-ending game of abuse. And when rancor was added to the equation…

He was officially doomed.

"I don't want to fight," he said, holding to those words as a mantra. He knew their meaning was empty, especially considering his current audience, but he didn't have anything else to say. Words wouldn't save him this time, not that they ever did…

"Really? How curious… Didn't you want to fight either when you used to slaughter innocents for fun?"

Thundercracker forced himself to remain calm, to be patient. Those Autobots were not there to kill him. They would have done it already considering they were armed and he wasn't. They were there to provoke him, to make him lose his patience and give Optimus Prime an excuse to execute him or at least incarcerate him. But he wouldn't provide such excuse. He hadn't come back to the sky just to lose it again.

"As far as I know, your Commander gave specific instructions about aggression directed toward me. Is this the way you follow his orders?"

"Oh, spare us the slag!" Sideswipe retorted. "We don't care what Optimus said. We know the kind of filthy vermin you are. You can't trick us."

Sunstreaker nodded firmly. "Don't you dare think we bought the tale that you deserted from the Decepticons. This has to be the worst plan your psycho leader has ever come up with."

"You want honesty, then? Fine. I don't care what you two think. I have nothing to prove to either or you, do you understand? Now stay out of my way."

"For a 'Con who doesn't want to fight, you sound pretty aggressive, don't you think?" Sideswipe said, making his knuckle's joints sound. "Come on… drop the attitude already. We are outside the Ark, there are no surveillance cameras in this area… You know you want to fight and here you have the chance. You love violence, remember?"

His anger should have increased with that remark, but it didn't. He didn't enjoy violence, he never had, not even when he was convinced he was fighting for justice. Motivation had always been something hard for him to find, and suddenly he was finding something bizarrely remote in the provocations of those two Autobots.

"This is what is going to happen," he said calmly. "I will go inside the base and you will let me go. There won't be any fight tonight."

"You have a lot of nerve to tell us what to do, Decepticon scum," Sunstreaker spat. "And to think that 'Sides and I were actually giving you the opportunity to choose… but well, we'll take it from here, not that we were thinking otherwise of course…" Sunstreaker subspaced his electron-pulse gun and aimed it at Thundercracker's chest. When he spoke again, his voice sounded as a sentence. "Move an inch and you'll be facing your creator today."

Thundercracker frowned but remained still. Any mention of his creator was always a painful stab, no matter the circumstances.

"Good boy, Thundercracker… now step back… step back I said!"

"Is this your definition of bravery, Autobot?" Thundercracker asked as he obeyed. "Aiming your gun at a mech who cannot defend himself? How honourable…"

"Don't even mention honour, you freak. You don't even know the meaning of that word. Now turn around!"

"What? What for? If you are going to execute me, you better…"

"Shut it! Turn around or I'll blow your head off this instant, you hear me?!"

"If you think you can give me orders you are more dysfunctional than I thou…!"

A portion of the boulder behind Thundercracker exploded in pieces. It had been so fast that Thundercracker didn't have time to react. All he could do was grab the left side of his face, still hot due to the proximity of Sunstreaker's shot.

"Next one goes right between your optics! Now turn around, Decepticreep!" Sunstreaker roared.

Thundercracker had fought Sunstreaker too many vorns to not recognize when the Autobot was furious, and that was the case. Trying not to show his nervousness, the Seeker turned around and faced the wall.

"Hands behind your head, come on!"

Once again, Thundercracker obeyed Sunstreaker, fighting the hardest battle against his own rage. The Decepticon code of honour demanded immediate retaliation. Without it, he just didn't know where the limits of his own pride were.

Sideswipe's hand grabbed the top of his head and, before he had time to resist, his face was brutally crashed against the wall. Thundercracker's vision clouded as his reasoning circuits got momentarily confused.

"We don't want you here, Thundercracker. You have to leave, do you understand?"

Sideswipe emphasized his words punching Thundercracker's back, right between his wings.

"Arrgh!! You slagging…"

The cannon of Sideswipe's rifle hit his cheek as soon as he turned his head.

"See, thing is we'd love to spatter your cranial plates all around this place, but that would put us into a nasty scene with Optimus, so we basically are giving you the chance to get the slag out of here so we can dismantle you some other day. How does it sound?"

"You have… no right to expel me from here."

"Mmmh, these punk ass Decepticons… seems like they don't understand Cybertronian. Why don't you make your point clear, 'Sides?"

Sideswipe smirked and impacted Thundercracker's head against the wall again. This time the Seeker couldn't avoid falling on one knee.

"Slag off…" he muttered, his voice full of rancor.

Almost immediately, Sideswipe roughly trapped him by the neck, making him stand up and pointing his rifle at his head.

"So you're staying, huh?" he said, turning his prisoner around to face Sunstreaker. "Hey Sunny, what do you say if we redecorate a little, then? If this slagger is going to become a regular annoyance, at least he should be a little more attractive to our optics. What do you think?"

"I couldn't agree more."

As soon as he caught sight of what was in Sunstreaker's hand, Thundercracker struggled, but the pressure of the weapon against his head increased.

"Keep doing that and you'll be the headless Seeker, you scum bucket!! Come on!! Just give me an excuse…"

Thundercracker stopped struggling, but his optics didn't detach from the container filled with pink paint in Sunstreaker's hand.

"I see that you like it," Sunstreaker sneered. "I bet you'll look lovely in pink. Let's see what your Decepticon buddies say once we deliver you to the entrance of the Nemesis with your new paintjob. Gee, I wonder if they are going to kill you or frag you first."

"I'd say it'll be estrus season in the Nemesis," Sideswipe laughed.

Thundercracker's spark boiled in fury. He could take pain but not humiliation. His pride was the only thing he had left, and he wouldn't allow those Autobots – or anybody else for the matter – to take it away from him.

Carelessly, Sunstreaker delivered his pink cargo. As fast as Starscream, Thundercracker turned around and used Sideswipe's body as a shield, making good use of the Autobot's confusion to snatch the rifle from his hand.

The stream of pink paint found target on Sideswipe's chest, also spattering his arms and thighs.

"Aaaaaaahh!! What the slag?!! Help me, Sunny!"

Next thing he knew, Sideswipe had his own rifle pointed at his temple.

But Thundercracker's attention was focused on Sunstreaker. "Yes, help your idiotic brother, Autobot. As you can see, he's literally about to lose his head."

"Let him go, you slag sucker!"

"I'm aiming point blank at your brother's processor, and I can also shoot you at least twice before his dead body falls to the ground. It's up to you how you want to do this. With you and your twin terminated, or you stand back and let me go. I won't repeat it."

The gun in Sunstreaker's hand trembled in pure fury. The empty container rolled at his feet, still leaking a thin stream of pink paint.

An eternity that lasted just some astro seconds later, Sunstreaker lowered his weapon and stepped aside.

Thundercracker smirked and started to walk to the entrance of the Ark. Only when he reached his destination did he release Sideswipe, violently pushing him forwards and kicking him in the aft.

The Autobot fell on his knees. Immediately, his head was hit very unceremoniously by his white rifle.

"You'll regret this, Thundercracker!" Sunstreaker screamed. "It's personal now, you hear me?!"

Thundercracker had already disappeared inside The Ark, not giving any importance to the Autobot's words.

Little did he know he would regret not doing so.

_To be continued._

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_A Christmas promise: update on the way. Intense things are coming, and I'm having so much fun writing them :oP Happy holidays to you all!_


	16. The principles of trust

_Merry after-Christmas, everyone! As always, but not less sincerely, I want to thank all of you for your support and opinions. It's always a joy to know what's going on at the other side of the screen. I want to comment about one anonymous review that said this story was disturbing and too painful to read. _

_One of the purposes of any fictional work is to inspire feelings, but to be honest I don't consider this story depressive. What I'm trying to write is Thundercracker's journey toward the discovery of his real self. Of course, spines are expected to be found on the way, but also hope. I have never liked to hurry things, and in order to reach my destination, I have to take my time to make the events of this story believable, otherwise the twists and climax would seem hurried and out of place. I'm not using any balance to measure TC's bad and good moments, but trust me, all of them have their importance on the development of this fanfic._

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**Chapter 16**

**The principles of trust**

As he walked through the corridors of the Ark, Thundercracker's bad mood found a way to increase when he caught sight of the pink on the back of his hand. It seemed that he hadn't managed to completely evade Sunstreaker's paint attack after all.

It was still early, and fortunately he didn't find anybody on his way to the Repair Bay. Still, he wasn't surprised when he saw the white silhouette when the doors of his destination hissed open. He wondered if that Autobot medic ever rested.

Ratchet looked over his shoulder and greeted the newcomer with his old non-friendly stare. Thundercracker perceived no hostility; he already knew that stare was only a façade to disguise a disturbingly kind personality component.

"Is there a reason why you are entering an unauthorized area, Thundercracker? Is my repair job itching or don't you have anything else to do except bothering me with your unwelcomed presence?"

Thundercracker raised his arm and showed Ratchet the back of his right hand.

"I need solvent."

Ratchet frowned when he saw the pink stain on the Decepticon's servo, but didn't say anything. He pointed toward the back of the room.

"Container X-14."

Thundercracker nodded slightly and headed toward his destination. His usual distrust commanded him to keep Ratchet in sight, but he was surprised at himself when he didn't think twice about turning his back on the medic and thus offering him a clean shot if he decided to take it.

But he needed no logic to know such thing wouldn't happen.

Pinkish solvent started to disappear through a liquid disposer as Thundercracker began to wash his hand.

"I'm not going to ask you how you ended up with your hand like that," Ratchet finally said.

"Better not."

Despite being obviously in a bad mood, Thundercracker's voice hadn't been as rough as he had thought.

"I know you Decepticon creeps don't take advice, but I highly recommend you not to cross the twins, especially Sunstreaker."

"It's them who are crossing me."

"This is not about who started what. It's about who is intelligent enough to prevent uncomfortable situations. I'm sure you already noticed your presence here has agitated the mood."

"Would you believe me if I told you I hadn't until you mentioned it?"

"Spare me your irony! I'm actually trying to help you here."

"I thought you said you would never help a Decepticon."

"Oh, blast! And you are certainly not making any effort to change the rule, are you?!" Ratchet shouted, raising the wrench he had in his hand. For a moment it seemed he would throw it directly at the Seeker's head.

Thundercracker finished rinsing his hand and closed the solvent container.

"Did you finish with that?" Ratchet asked.

"Affirmative."

"Then put that container in its place. It's not that we have enough solvent to waste it on your fashion caprices."

Thundercracker growled but did what Ratchet had told him. He was on his way out of the Repair Bay when the medic's voice stopped him.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

"Eh?"

"I can understand you wouldn't say thanks, but don't think you are just going to walk away like that. As I said, we don't exactly have a rich reserve of solvent, so I suggest you find a way to compensate what you have taken from my Repair Bay."

"Compensate?" Thundercracker asked, totally confused.

"That's what I said. See those data disks over there?"

Thundercracker cast a disdainful glance toward the disordered pile of disks resting on a big workbench; they resembled an ugly imitation of a terrestrial mountain more than anything else. "I'd have to be blind not to see them."

"Congratulations for your advanced optic sensors. As you can see, those disks are rather disorganized…"

"Disorganized? That's an optimistic way to put it."

"Did I ask for your opinion? That pile of disks is Wheeljack's doing, not mine… Oh blast, why am I giving you explanations anyway? Point is that they won't get ordered by themselves, so you better start now. Like humans say, time is gold."

"What?! Do you expect me to degrade myself with that kind of work?! I am a soldier, not some kind of… laboratory assistant."

"Well, I'm not requesting your fighting skills now, am I?"

"Why don't you use a drone?"

"You may not believe it, but I need someone with the slightest bit of intelligence for such task, and I think you could match that description, perhaps… Besides, we don't use drones here."

Thundercracker couldn't help but show his surprise. "You don't? Why?"

"Why build lifeless machines to perform tasks we can do ourselves?"

"That's the most stupid thing I've ever heard…"

"Oh really? Is an honest job too low for your high Decepticon bad aft standards?"

"I'm just saying that the purpose of automation is to ease an individual's life."

Ratchet raised his brow plates. "Curious… wasn't that one of the reasons why you Decepticreeps started this war after all?"

Thundercracker didn't reply. He just couldn't. It was true, at some point his beliefs had changed, mutated being the proper word. He wondered if that had been his own mutation, or the blind acceptance of Megatron's ideology.

"From being against automation to actually supporting it…" Ratchet continued. "I'd say the distance is not small. But nothing surprising there. I suppose you slaggers prefer to use your time doing productive activities such as creating more destructive weaponry or planning terrorist acts instead of doing something useful with your processors. Now would you mind starting what I asked you to do? Organize the disks according to their size and format. Use the terminal computer over there. You can imagine you are plotting some really evil plan if it helps you for motivation purposes."

"Very funny…" Thundercracker growled, but headed toward the pile of data disks.

He didn't see the smile on Ratchet's face, nor did he noticed when Wheeljack comm linked Ratchet to inform him that Sunstreaker was requesting a big amount of solvent and refusing to give any explanations about his reasons.

Ratchet just shook his head.

………………

Time was eternal when it was spent on monotonous activities, especially if such monotonous activities were performed on the ground.

But for some reason, the breems past faster than expected. Thundercracker just had three disks left on what once had been a pile when he realized the task had eased his bad mood considerably.

He startled when the door opened, making him realize that the terrestrial morning had started many breems ago.

"Hey, Ratchet! Is it true? Are you guys really sheltering that Decepticon creep?" Spike asked.

"You should lock him in a cage. Most likely he's just pretending to…"

Chip Chase's words were interrupted as brusquely as the advance of his wheelchair. Also Spike and Carly, standing beside him, gaped in astonishment when they saw Thundercracker.

It was one of those moments in which the word awkward would have been an understatement.

Thundercracker frowned. The filthy little creatures… but what could he expect from some ground dwelling, narrow minded, cannibalistic race such as the human?

He shot them a rabid glance before addressing Ratchet in Cybertronian.

"I'm done with your disks. If you have some more _honest jobs_ to be done, I suggest you enter the automation era. I'm out of here."

Without waiting for an answer, he headed toward the exit, completely ignoring the humans who had their damp organic optics fixated on him.

"Hi, Thundercracker."

He hesitated. Had that human femme actually greeted him? When he looked at her he didn't find mockery or rejection on her face. All her features reflected was pure and simple warmth.

He didn't change his frown and reassumed his pacing almost immediately. Why would he care about some puny human showing him sympathy? As far as it concerned him, he preferred never to see one of those creatures again.

……………..

"Whoa… what an asshole. He completely ignored you, Carly," Spike said, not daring to talk until the door closed after Thundercracker's exit.

The blonde girl smiled slightly. "I suppose I made him feel uncomfortable."

Spike shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, uncomfortable? He's the one who is making everybody nervous here. Bumblebee said he almost got in a fight the other day when the Autobots were having breakfast."

"It's called refueling, Spike," Ratchet said, resuming whatever he was doing on a workbench.

"But what was all that about, Ratchet?" Chip said, approaching to the Autobot medic. "What did he tell you? I thought I was making progresses in my Cybertronian studies but I barely caught a word or two of what he said."

"I hope he didn't threaten to step on us," Spike laughed.

Ratchet smiled. "Not exactly. He just said he had finished a task I asked him to do."

"Are you going to have him here often? Aren't you nervous he might try something? He's a Decepticon after all."

"I just needed some help, Spike, that's all… Besides, it's good for him to have something to do. Everybody here treats him like if he had cosmic rust. Keeping himself active is the best way to maintain his sanity."

"Oh," Carly said. "So you were actually trying to help him?"

"Mmmph, I didn't say that."

"You have a very big heart, Ratchet, even if you don't want to show it."

Ratchet frowned at the girl's remark. He was very fortunate Cybertronians weren't able to blush. "The guy needs somebody to give him a supporting hand, that's all I say… A little bit of trust won't kill him, I think… and I can always use some help around here."

"Well, I still think all this is really insane," Spike insisted. "Just some days ago that Decepticon was your sworn enemy and wouldn't have hesitated in killing any of you guys, and now he's is here, living under your own roof? So weird…"

"Optimus should order some thorough investigation into all this. What if Thundercracker is just pretending and he's really on a sabotage mission?"

Carly frowned at Chip's remark. "Optimus is fair and honours concepts such as freedom and justice. If he gave Thundercracker an opportunity, he must have had his reasons to do so."

"Yeah, but what's next?" Spike said. "Is this going to become some kind of shelter for repented Decepticons?"

"I would like to see that!" Chip laughed.

Seeing she wouldn't find support in her two human friends, or common sense for the matter, Carly turned to Ratchet.

"What do you think, Ratchet? Do you think Thundercracker will regenerate?"

The Autobot medic took a moment to answer. "Hard to tell. He has lived most of his life swallowing Megatron's propaganda… but I have to admit there's something in him that doesn't match my regular definition of a Decepticon. He's not _such _a maniacal evil mercenary, and actually listens when you talk to him… Bah, maybe he has a chance to change. Who knows."

…………

As he waited at Optimus Prime's office, Thundercracker was sure he was about to receive a lesson concerning Autobot discipline. Certainly the news about his fight with the Aerialbots and his incident with the twins and the pink paint had already reached the Supreme Commander's audios. There was no reason to believe he wasn't doomed.

In the past, confronting discipline for a mistake meant a very angry Megatron. Fortunately, most of those times Starscream was the single receiver of the Decepticon Commander's fury, whether he deserved it or not. Before his bizarre duel with his former leader, Thundercracker had only felt Megatron's heavy hand once, and that had been precisely Starscream's fault. Justice worked in strange ways, so did retaliation. That time he had betrayed – even though momentarily – the Decepticon cause without second thoughts, letting himself be guided by the desire of revenge.

At the end things had returned to their normal status, although he had had the nerve to call Megatron geeky right in his face, and got away with it. Maybe that had been Megatron's way to correct one isolated mistake.

Now he was waiting for Optimus Prime in his own private sanctuary, and although he was almost sure he wouldn't be physically punished, he knew he wouldn't like what was about to come. It was so unfair. He had done his best to behave as was expected of him, but he kept sinking more and more. It seemed that the Autobots had decided not to give him any opportunity.

The door opened, ending his pessimistic thoughts. Optimus Prime entered, his presence as imposing as always, but he also had a strange aura of relaxation.

"Greetings, Thundercracker. I apologize for keeping you waiting, but I was required in the Command Centre."

So strange… Explanations were not even contemplated when a Supreme Commander addressed a subordinate, especially considering said subordinate wasn't sure he could still be considered a soldier. But ranks had to be respected, even in insanity.

"You… apologize? If any apology is to be given, it must be mine."

"There is no need for such thing, Thundercracker," Optimus Prime assured him as he sat on the chair behind his desk.

"Still, you must have heard about the incident with the Aerialbots… I'm sure I could have done something to avoid violence, but…"

"Please, stop torturing yourself anymore. It's true that Silverbolt informed me, but I didn't summon you to reprimand you about that. Air Raid and Skydive were wrong attacking you."

"I might have provoked them, I'm not sure… It's hard to find the proper parameters for my demeanor in certain situations."

"I appreciate your sincerity, but Silverbolt tells me all you did was defend yourself, that's something I will never condemn. The discipline measures he imposed on you were because you directly disobeyed an order."

"Er… yes… I admit that. Being allowed to fly again after some cycles of not doing it disrupted my logic circuits, I guess… I wasn't thinking clearly."

"I insist that you have no need to apologize. I understand Seekers have certain needs that other Cybertronians don't have. Besides, Silverbolt is not your commanding officer. Officially speaking, you didn't have the duty to obey an order from him."

That had sense, and Thundercracker suddenly got a clue about where Optimus Prime wanted to go.

"I have a favour to ask you, Thundercracker, one that I suspect won't be pleasant for you."

"What is it?"

"As you probably have noticed, the Aerialbots haven't completed their maturation process as aerial warriors."

_You don't say… Even Ramjet in his worst inebriated state could beat those glitches._

"Yes, I have noticed."

"There is no limit to how much they could benefit from an experienced warrior like you."

Slaggit… it had come… the time for retribution. And to think he had been naïve enough to believe that revealing classified Decepticon intel would be enough to buy the Autobots' protection.

"I suppose… in theory."

"I have already talked with Silverbolt, and even though he's not a full supporter of the idea, he'll be grateful for anything you can teach him and his teammates."

"It's not him that worries me… Let's face it, Optimus Prime. The Aerialbots hate me, just as most of the mechs in this base. Not that I blame them, of course… Besides, I don't think I have any skills as an instructor. All I have done in my life is follow orders."

"You were educated in the Iacon Military Academy, weren't you?

_Right… the slagging unit triple zero…_

"Affirmative."

"The highest producer of first class fliers. It may have been improper of me, but I took the liberty of investigating your military career. All your evaluations are outstanding. Your records far outshone those of most of the Seekers that ever attended that Academy."

_Yes, all but one… slag you Starscream, slag you to the pits…_

"Evaluations meant nothing. It's on the battlefield where the real potential of a warrior arises."

"That's why I'm asking you for this favour, because I have seen your performance directly on the battlefield."

Optimus Prime had such a way to ask for 'favours'… Couldn't be further from violence or threat, but his method was just as effective.

"I… suppose I could try."

"Splendid. I really appreciate your help, Thundercracker. You can retire now. Your assignment will start as soon as Silverbolt's punishment ends. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to come to me if any of my Autobots disrespect you. Not one of them gives rancor a big place in their processors, but it's still too soon for them to fully understand forgiveness in this case."

"I understand, and I thank you for your support."

"Don't mention it. My door is always open for you, please don't forget that."

Thundercracker made a respectful salute to Optimus Prime and left. He wasn't sure if he was more confused now than he was before.

_To be continued._

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_As you probably noticed, I made a small mention of the events happened in the G1 episode 'Fire in the mountain', in which Megatron punched Thundercracker after Starscream blamed him for getting deffective metal for the Decepticons weapon frame, when Thundercracker had actually advised Starscream that said metal wouldn't be strong enough. At the end of the episode, Thundercracker call Megatron and Starscream geeky right on their faces, and Starscream complaints about a headache and TC's "thunder noise". One of the best scenes of G1 in my opinion :o)_

_Tons of thanks to iratepirate for beta reading three chapters of this story in a row. Fast update coming up!_


	17. A prank gone cruel

_First update of the year! Thanks for all your support and reviews. Your opinions are always welcome and highly inspiring for future chapters. Thanks to iratepirate for being my beta reader and guru. Here we go!_

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**Chapter 17**

**A prank gone cruel**

Still undecided concerning how to feel about his new assignment, Thundercracker was surprised to find the female Autobot human pet standing between him and his quarters. Even though he had never felt the impulse to step on a human, he wondered for a moment what it would feel like.

"I'm sorry about my friends' behaviour back there…" the creature said, apparently not impressed by the hard expression on his face.

He decided to ignore her and walked directly to the keypad outside the door. Her silhouette was completely darkened by his shadow.

"They were wrong… saying those things. Even if they didn't know you would be there to listen, it's not right to talk that way about others."

_Right? _The right thing for him was to continue ignoring that fleshling. He didn't like human beings, he really didn't… but he had to admit she had some courage showing up at his door like that, not that he understood her reasons at all, of course.

"It doesn't matter," he said with something that resembled a growl more than an answer.

"I think it does. I mean… you are new here. It's not easy being the new one…"

_Easy? Try being the 'new one' where everybody wants a piece of you, literally speaking. Frag, I entered the wrong code! _

A red light and an irritating sound could be heard after his mistake. He cursed himself for his stupidity. He had entered the code of his former quarters at the Nemesis.

"Now that was a long code," he heard the female human laughing. "No wonder you can't remember it."

He stared downwards and shot her a very non-friendly stare. "I do remember it, I just punched the wrong key…"

He shut up when he realized he was actually talking to that human pest. But now that she had obtained more than three words from him, she wouldn't let him go so easily.

"Well, of course you couldn't forget it. The brains of you guys are superior to any computer the human race could develop. How did you come up with your codes? My passwords are always related to things related to me, such as my birthday or Spike's…"

_Frag it, flesh bag. Do you ever shut up?_

He turned to the keypad again and typed the correct code. This time, the green light shone like a saviour and he was greeted by the sight of his small quarters, that had never looked more comfortable, by the way.

"Oh, wait Thundercracker!"

Much to his dismay, he stopped right under the threshold of the door.

"Now what?" he asked without looking at her.

"Uh… sorry if I bothered you. I'm not very used to talking to Decepticons, not this way I mean. Last time a Decepticon addressed me was to try to kill me…"

"Is there something you want, human?" Thundercracker interrupted her, getting more tired of her babbling.

She didn't seem to be impressed by his roughness. "Just to say hi."

Thundercracker analyzed that flesh face in search for any trace of irony. When he didn't find it, he entered his quarters.

"I thought you had already done it," he said before the door closed behind his back.

…………..

At the beginning of the next cycle, Thundercracker was feeling better than the day before. He had been able to recharge without the visit of nightmares or memories, and it was encouraging not to receive so many hateful stares on his way to the Refueling Unit. Perhaps the Autobots were starting to get used to his presence and the instinct to blow his head away was beginning to be more easily controlled. Nobody would speak a word to him, of course, but that was fine with him. Back in the Nemesis, he barely talked to his former Decepticon teammates when he found them in the corridors after all.

The table at the back of the Refueling Unit was empty, as predicted. Ever since he had started to use it, the Autobots had established some sort of invisible frontier there, making it an outcast territory. Once again, that was fine with him. He was one who didn't dislike solitude.

The Refueling Unit was not very crowded. Most of the Autobots were not present, probably already refueled, and the ones that were having their energon rations were paying no attention to him. Seemed like they had tacitly agreed to ignore him. Even the infamous twins didn't dedicate him a single glance when they entered. Thundercracker got comfortable on his seat and smirked when he caught sight of Sideswipe's chest plates. The paint was gone, but the Autobot still had a faint pinkish tone, perhaps disguised thanks to his red paintjob, but Thundercracker knew better.

Evil satisfaction spread freely through Thundercracker's systems when one of the Autobots, Bluestreak, burst into laughter pointing at a pink stain on Sideswipe's thigh. Sideswipe was furious and for a moment it seemed that he would punch his teammate, although in the end his brother managed to control him.

Sometimes indirect results proved to be better than the ones originally intended. All Thundercracker had done was defend himself, but in the process he had managed to inflict some humiliation for those clowns. It served them right.

He returned to his energon cube, forgotten on one corner of his lonely table. Perhaps life was not such a fragger after all.

For the first time since his arrival at the Ark, he didn't hurry to refuel. He was nothing but a piece of furniture to the Autobots present and perhaps, if he waited, his optics would be blessed with another display of mockery aimed at Sideswipe, but after he and Bluestreak made amends, the atmosphere returned to being as boring as usual.

It wasn't until he had almost emptied his energon cube when he noticed the first alert of disgrace. A wave of dizziness suddenly hit his processor as he fixated his optics on the minimal amount of energon left in the cube.

The second signal came at the precise moment he put the cube on the table. That simple movement was eternal; he saw it in slow motion, astro klik by astro klik, the vortexes of the cube so blurry, the energon's small waves seeming like an ocean… But it wasn't only the cube; everything around him had become blurry.

He wasn't an expert on the matter, but he immediately recognized the origin of his dilemma.

_High grade._

He couldn't avoid feeling horror when he realized he had drunk an entire cube of high grade energon.

He was doomed, so officially doomed… His panicked mind started to try to find solutions to get out of there without exposing his intoxication. But he knew he couldn't make it, not unless he could teleport…

_Fraggin' Skywarp, why did you have to betray me too…? Blast you, brother…_

To his numbed audios arrived the unmistakable laughter of the Autobot Sunstreaker.

"So early and already over energized, Thundercracker? Tsss tss… these Decepticons certainly have really lousy habits."

"If you wanted high grade so badly, all you had to was ask for it, you drunk frag," Sideswipe added.

Drowsiness and confusion were winning more and more battles inside Thundercracker's processor, so much that he barely felt connected to his own body.

He got up as fast as he could, almost overheating the joints of his weakened arms with the effort. He had to get out of there; he was completely defenseless, not to mention the fact that he was making a fool of himself. He had never had tolerance toward high grade, not to mention he still remembered the terrible hangover he had had after the drunkenness he had shared with his former Decepticons when Megatron toasted for victory and the glory of Cybertron not so many meta-cycles ago.

And now he was living a much worse nightmare. He was more over energized than ever, so much that he was sure he was at the edge of shutdown… and all due to those disgusting twins…

With the little remains he had of his reasoning he tried to work out how they had managed to trick him. He had filled the cube from the energon dispenser himself. How the slag had they managed to alter it…?

But he didn't have time to keep using his numb cerebro shells for such thoughts. He had barely walked two steps when his legs failed and he fell on his knees. The rest of his structure betrayed him as well when his arms wouldn't support his weight and he collapsed face down on the hard surface beneath him.

Mocking guffaws reverberated through the Refueling Unit. Seekers used to move with remarkable grace and agility. Seeing one behaving so awkwardly was definitely a very welcomed change.

"What's wrong, Decepticon scum?" Sunstreaker mocked. "Can't you walk?"

Sideswipe could barely speak because of his own laughter. "Seems that the floor is a little too shaky for you! You should really try to control your addictions."

Sunstreaker grabbed Thundercracker by the armpits and roughly made him get up.

"Hey, who wants to play Decepticon ball?!"

"Toss him here, Sunny!"

Sunstreaker strongly pushed Thundercracker against Sideswipe, who received the Seeker with a brutal punch to the face that sent him back to the floor.

"Primus, that felt good!" Sideswipe said.

Thundercracker had thought that the general laughter couldn't get louder, but it did with that stunt.

"Shut up!!" he managed to scream, losing whatever remain he had of self control. "You slaggin' Autobots!! I'll kill you all!" he roared, not able to bear the humiliation anymore. He raised his shivering hands and shot, his weapons obeying his rage. But the inhibitor on his neck fulfilled its function and all that came out from his arm mounted cannons was half dozen sterile snaps.

"Heeeey! What the slag was that?" Sunstreaker screamed. "Did you just try to shoot us, you blasted slime bucket?! Can't you take an innocent prank?"

Thundercracker didn't reply, too busy trying to get up. He had managed to support his weight on his knees and elbows, and he was uselessly trying to push himself upwards.

He didn't go far. Sunstreaker's brutal foot impacted his back and returned him to the floor.

"Gee, he's as weak as a sparkling right now… Anybody want to have a round with him?" Sunstreaker continued, still stepping on Thundercracker's back and not allowing him to get up again.

One smaller figure emerged from the laughing crowd. "I do! This slagger still owes me big time! Just fourteen solar cycles ago he almost killed me!"

"He's all yours, buddy," Sunstreaker said, liberating his prey and stepping back, allowing him to move again.

Thundercracker's hands had barely found support on the floor when the small but powerful foot of Cliffjumper kicked his cheek.

His processor shook, sending erratic mental waves all through his structure. But one of them was clear. Pain, intense and non-stopping pain… He tried to protect his head with his hands but the vicious kicks managed to find ways to reach their destination.

"Stop it, Cliffjumper!! Are you insane?? Are you all insane?!" Bumblebee cried, stepping out from the group of Autobots.

Cliffjumper ignored his friend and continued punishing the fallen Decepticon.

"Relax, Bumblebee, we are just giving him a lesson. It won't damage him to understand his place."

"Do you call _this _a lesson, Sunstreaker?! Ganging up to beat a mech who cannot defend himself is no lesson! It's cowardice! And who are you to teach him 'his place'? Stop this outrage right now or I'll notify Optimus!"

"Outrage? Didn't you see that this slagger actually tried to use his weapons on us? What would have happened if they had been functional, huh? Any of us could have lost more than our heads! You can tell Optimus whatever you want, but I call this self defense. Besides, the boss is out of the base right now. You better not bother him with trifles."

"You call this a trifle? This is wrong and you know it!"

Sunstreaker grimaced and put his hand on Cliffjumper's shoulder.

"Okay okay… Bee may be right, Cliffjumper. That is enough. Remember that others are waiting for their turn. Who's next, guys?"

Bumblebee's claims were silenced by the uproar that could be heard when Sunstreaker lifted Thundercracker, grabbing him by the neck and one wing and exhibiting him as if he were a toy.

The Seeker didn't know what was worse, the dizziness or the pain. No, of course he knew… nothing could exceed the humiliation. His body refused to respond to him, only to register pain. He felt excessively weak and there was nothing he could do to liberate himself from two hands that claimed him from Sunstreaker's grip.

He was hit again. Despite the confusion his numb visual circuits could perceive his new attacker.

Skydive, the fragging insult of a combat jet…

By some miracle he managed to remain on his feet and threw a violent punch against his rival, but his senses were more screwed than he thought because all that his fist found was air. That wasn't the case of Skydive, who accurately impacted Thundercracker's face again. This time, the Seeker couldn't avoid his return to the floor.

"We'll see who the novice is now!" the Aerialbot cried as he kicked Thundercracker in the mid section.

Sunstreaker approached, gun in hand. "That's enough, Skydive. Lift him up, I have a present for him."

Skydive grabbed Thundercracker's neck and forced him to get on his knees. Sunstreaker bent over and placed the cannon of his gun against the Seeker's face. "That's it, your place is on your knees, don't you ever forget it. Compared to any of us, you're scum. Do you get it? Scum. Now show me you understood and kiss my gun."

Thundercracker hesitated, not sure his audios had heard correctly. He was beyond confusion. Between the pain and the sickness that invaded every single one of his circuits, all he could feel was hate. The general cheering had stopped and a heavy silence had fallen, sealing the seriousness of the situation. Somewhere behind the silence he could hear Bumblebee's ignored complaints.

The gun impacted his dented cheek. "Kiss my gun, I said! Or I swear to Primus I'll insert it somewhere you won't like…"

Then, it happened, so fast and sudden that nobody had time to react. Two hands grabbed Sunstreaker's shoulders and violently pushed him backwards. The yellow Autobot, totally taken by surprise, dropped his gun and fell unceremoniously on his aft.

"Jazz! But what the frag…?" he spat as he started to get up.

The Autobot saboteur put his foot on Sunstreaker's chest and pushed him down again. "Stay down, Sunstreaker, and don't you dare attempt getting up!" he angrily said, no trace of his usual good mood anywhere.

Skydive released Thundercracker and backed off. The Decepticon fell on the floor, his head impacting the metal beneath without any resistance.

Ironhide, the other newcomer, approached the fallen and lifted him up from the floor. His grip was firm but not rough.

"Come on kid, it's over. I'll take you to the Repair Bay," the weapons specialist said as he placed Thundercracker's arm gently over his own shoulder. Despite his controlled temper, everybody could notice his annoyance, and everybody knew it was not directed toward Thundercracker.

Nobody dared to say a word. Sunstreaker was quiet on the floor, staring nervously at Jazz, whose optic visor was shinning with unusual anger.

"Jazz," Ironhide called him. "I'm going to need your help. He won't be able to walk by himself."

Jazz put Thundercracker's other arm over his shoulder with the care he would only have had for a companion. Without saying another word, he and Ironhide carried Thundercracker out of the Refueling Unit.

As soon as their footsteps couldn't be heard anymore, Sunstreaker finally got up. "See? Even drunk, that Decepticon scum only causes trouble."

Bumblebee stopped on his way to the door. "You know something, Sunny? You really are the most stupid mech I have ever met," he said seriously.

After his exit, all that remained was a very tense silence.

_To be continued._

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_I made an obvious reference to the G1 episode "Microbots", in which Thundercracker is the first to collapse after the Decepticons got over energized after that memorable speech Megatron gave about Cybertron… Drunk Decepticons, a delicious classic!  
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_I felt so bad for Thundercracker whilst writing this chapter… but good news are that the update is almost done. Please let me know your opinions._


	18. If you drink, don’t fly

_Thanks so much for all your reviews for last chapter. You gals and guys are really amazing. Next two chapters are done and I don't want to keep you waiting. I hope you will enjoy what is to come. _

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**Chapter 18**

**If you drink, don't fly**

Nobody could explain the reason, but it was possible to perceive Optimus Prime's mood by the single sound of his footsteps. So when a certain reverberation left no doubts about his proximity, every single Autobot surrounding the repair berth was convinced that the one walking those firm steps outside the Repair Bay was one very upset Optimus Prime.

The expectations turned out to be accurate once the doors hissed open and Optimus Prime walked inside, accompanied by Prowl. Despite wearing a face mask, the Autobot leader's countenance exposed his indignation clearly.

Optimus Prime's glance immediately looked for his objective, finding him at the back of the room. In one of the repair berths, the beaten Thundercracker was lying. Or at least that was what Jazz and Ironhide were trying to convince him to do, because the over energized Seeker seemed to be concentrating on only two things: getting up and laughing like a maniac.

Ratchet approached Optimus Prime and Prowl to update them about Thundercracker's condition.

"High grade," Ratchet severely sentenced, showing a small crystal tube with a sample of what appeared to be energon. "Much more than high grade, actually. What Thundercracker refueled with was an adulterated mixture, equivalent to ten cubes of high grade. More than over energized, it would be more proper to say he was poisoned."

"What's his condition?" Optimus Prime asked.

"Stable, if I can call it that… He purged most of the mixture and I injected a purifying solution to clean his systems from the intoxication, but he will have to deal with the normal effects of high grade by himself. As you know, there is nothing that can interrupt drunkenness just like that, even less one as serious as his. I have never seen a mech as over energized as he is right now, that I can tell you."

"What about his injuries?"

Ratchet glanced at the excited Seeker, who continued struggling to get up as he candidly laughed, like if he hadn't been brutally beaten just some breems ago.

"He's doing well considering the fact that he received a very serious beating. Good news is that he wasn't severely damaged. I just injected some tranquilizers into his fuel line to help him rest, and his auto repair systems should take care of his wounds within the cycle. Even though he is a Seeker, his structure is stronger than the ones of his kind; there's no doubt about his non-flying origins… Any other Seeker would have been far more damaged by such a brutal attack."

Brutal attack? Optims Prime's features hardened. It was so hard to believe his own soldiers had been capable of such an act of cowardice and abuse.

Jazz approached the group at the entrance too, leaving behind a very troubled Ironhide trying to contain the erratic Decepticon.

"Optimus…" the saboteur said.

"Jazz, what exactly happened back there?"

"Unfortunately I arrived late, boss, but Bumblebee witnessed everything. It seems that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe somehow altered Thundercracker's energon ration and once the high grade started to mess with his systems, the twins attacked him. It didn't take too much motivation for Cliffjumper and Skydive to join in."

"Is there a visual file of the event?"

"There is," Prowl confirmed. "The surveillance cameras were functioning properly according to Red Alert's reports."

"Send it to my computer, Prowl, and summon Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Cliffjumper, Skydive and Mirage to my office at 1900 hours."

"Mirage too?" Prowl asked.

"Affirmative. It takes a ghost to trick a Seeker, and I suspect Mirage was said ghost. We'll see what they all have to say about ganging up to attack a defenseless mech."

"I suppose it all started with that paint incident," Ratchet said. "I should have known better when Thundercracker came to me with a pink hand and Sunstreaker practically begged Wheeljack to help him with Sideswipe's new paintjob… Slag, I should have known…"

"It's not your fault, Ratchet," Optimus Prime said, putting his hand on the medic's shoulder. "Only Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are responsible for taking one of their irritating pranks so far."

Ratchet shook his head. "This was more than a prank. The twins almost killed Thundercracker. I'd dare to say he never drinks high grade. His circuits didn't put up any resistance against the invading adulterated agents."

"And you can bet he's as drunk as any bot could be," Jazz smirked. "He's been calling me Skywarp ever since we got here."

Optimus turned to Ratchet. "Is there a possibility that his cerebro shells have been damaged and he doesn't remember where he is and with whom?"

"There is, but I'm sure it's only temporary. Once his processor returns to its normal state, he will remember everything that happened. Let's state it as it is: he's incredibly drunk. I wouldn't be surprised if he confuses you with Primus himself. Right now, his senses are not to be trusted."

"I understand," Optimus replied before heading toward the berth on which Thundercracker had managed to sit. The others followed.

"Come on kid… just lie down or I'll have to chain you to the berth… try to rest a little, slaggit…!" Ironhide was saying.

Optimus stared with curiosity at the dent on Ironhide's cheek.

"He confused me with Starscream," the weapons specialist explained with a frown. "I lost count of the times he said he would kill me in a colorful variety of ways… Slaggin' Decepticon punk… he's so lucky he's so wasted right now, or I'd make him eat his own wings for daring to punch me!"

"Oh, shut up Screamer!" Thundercracker yelled, throwing an erratic kick towards Ironhide that was easily avoided. "You and Megatron are really geeky, really…"

"I'm _not_ Starscream, you rusted Decepticon bucket! How many times do I have to repeat it?!" Ironhide spat as he roughly returned Thundercracker back to a lying position.

"Calm down, Ironhide. Remember he can't recognize us," Optimus Prime said.

Ironhide's frown increased, if such a thing was possible. "He can't recognize his aft from his head from what I can tell…"

"Thundercracker, listen to me," Optimus Prime said, putting a comforting hand on the Seeker's shoulder. "Try to relax and allow your systems to shut down. You'll feel much better if you recharge the rest of the cycle."

Much to everyone's surprise, Thundercracker stopped giggling. His face suddenly became serious and his body began to tremble slightly. He was looking at Optimus Prime with horrified, repented optics.

"I…" he muttered. "I wasn't worthy…"

A dense silence suddenly took over the Repair Bay. All that could be heard was the noise of Thundercracker's fingers trembling against the surface of the berth, a noise as anguishing as it was sad. He was going through a much worse torture than any beating or intoxication could provide.

"… wasn't worthy… of your trust…"

Then he attacked.

Fast, merciless, mortal… just as a Decepticon should be.

He only had one target: the imposing figure of authority before him.

Optimus Prime wasn't ready for the aggression and could barely contain the rabid Seeker that pounced at him with murderous intentions, not before a brutal punch dented his chest plates.

"Optimus!" Jazz and Ironhide yelled at the same time, already moving to restrain the attacker.

"Stay where you are!" Optimus Prime commanded, starting to block Thundercracker's furious punches.

Jazz, Ratchet and Ironhide obeyed, astonished by such a bizarre scene.

"Have I ever fought against a Cybertronian scimitar, you asked?" Thundercracker roared, completely dominated by memories. "Now I'll show you, Lord Megatron!!"

Optimus Prime's hand grabbed the Seeker's arm, which seemed to be grasping an imaginary weapon.

"Let go of me!! Let slaggin' go of me!! I'm a slaggin' Seeker of the Aerial Elite! You can't treat me this way, you can't!!" Thundercracker continued yelling, trying desperately to destroy his enemy.

Despite Optimus Prime's superior strength and Thundercracker's supposedly weakened condition, the Autobot leader was having problems containing the furious blue and grey demon. It seemed that whatever regression he was having had given him marvelous power.

"Try to stabilize your processor, Thundercracker!" Optimus said, managing to turn the Decepticon around and immobilizing him with a powerful lock to the head. Despite the situation, the Autobot leader's voice sounded calm and reassuring. "Your inebriated cerebro shells are tricking you."

"S…slag… slag you…!" Thundercracker spat, violently struggling to liberate himself and hitting Optimus Prime's chin with the back of his head.

Suddenly, he stopped. His body went lax and his legs gave up. He would have fallen if the Autobot leader hadn't been sustaining him.

"The tranquilizers must be acting," Ratchet said. "He should enter stasis mode any moment now…"

Thundercracker's face was abandoning his furious features. But it wasn't relaxation that replaced the former anger, but sadness.

"Please… please forgive me, father…" he muttered, right before his systems finally surrendered to a devastating drunkenness, leaving four very confused Autobots behind.

"Wow… poor guy… he's really tormented…" Jazz said.

Ironhide grimaced. "That was quite bizarre if you ask me, Prime. He confuses you with Megatron, and then with his creator? I'd say the high grade the twins gave him fried his neural circuits."

"It's so easy to consider our enemies monsters that we forget that some of them are more than meets the eye," Optimus Prime said as he gently carried Thundercracker in his arms and took him back to the repair berth.

"What's next, Ratchet?" the Autobot leader asked.

"Not much. With the intoxicating agents out of his systems, all we can do is wait for his structure to naturally assimilate the high grade energon. But considering his status, that will take at least two or three cycles."

"So we'll have a drunk Thundercracker for three more cycles. Geez man, that'll be funny."

Optimus shook his head. "This doesn't resemble fun at all, Jazz. This forced drunkenness almost offlined him permanently."

"He will be fine," Ratchet said. "He just needs to rest, that's all."

"And rest is what we'll provide him. Will he remain in recharge mode, Ratchet?"

"Yes, Optimus. The tranquilizers I injected in his fuel line will keep him knocked out at least for a couple of solar cycles. Although when he wakes up he will have the worst hangover any Cybertronian has ever had."

"This Decepticon scum is not such a coward after all…" Ironhide said. "Bumblebee said he took the beating like a mech."

Optimus Prime gave the recharging Seeker a last look before addressing Ratchet again. "Ratchet, make sure his recharge period doesn't get disturbed, and let me know when he wakes up. I want to talk to him."

"You got it."

…………

It was much more than just his footsteps. Optimus Prime was a transparent mech, fair, with permanent open doors… and yet, he had many signals that indicated his mood, despite them being far away from the concept of anger.

When five fearful Autobots entered their leader's office, the first thing they noticed was the isolated desk. They were all sure sympathy was not what they could expect to find there.

But the desk was also a welcome image; it provided a perfect target for their optics, none of them willing to focus on their Supreme Commander. If they had, they would have noticed a very severe glance.

"I won't embarrass you any more by repeating the degrading events that happened in the Refuel Unit earlier this cycle. I won't ask for your motives either because I know each one of you is convinced you have reasons for having behaved the way you did. I have one and only one question for you. Since when does a mech who calls himself an Autobot lower himself to a status of absolute cowardice?"

Nobody dared to reply, the words of their leader burning like acid.

Nobody but one.

"But Prime…" Sunstreaker said, increasing the level of his voice with every word. "Cowardice? _Cowardice?! _That Decepticon scum is the coward! Have you forgotten how many times he and his trine ambushed us?"

"Thundercracker is not my subordinate, Sunstreaker, but you are. No matter what personal vendettas you have against him, you are all Autobots and you have an honour code to follow. We Autobots do not use treacherous tactics to attack our enemies, even less we lynch a defenseless mech! What you did today was step on all the ideals that make us what we are. What you did today was behave like Decepticons!"

Now all the heads raised, looking at their leader with the same amount of shame and surprise. It was not common to see Optimus Prime so upset, and it was even more uncommon to see him that way because of his own soldiers.

"Your actions have brought shame to our cause. I don't recall ever feeling so disappointed by any of my warriors as I do because of you today."

Cliffjumper stepped forward, unable to restrain himself anymore. "Please, Optimus… we didn't think… we... it was just a joke and suddenly things were out of control…"

"Control doesn't lose itself, Cliffjumper, unstable minds lose it. Vengeance is not worthy of a warrior that calls himself an Autobot."

The smaller robot lowered his head, feeling unworthy of staring at his Commander face to face.

Optimus Prime shook his head. "Since Thundercracker arrived here, all he has done is try to adapt himself. I can see how hard it has been for him, considering all that has happened between him and us in the past, and also because of his very reserved personality, but the simple fact that he has tried to keep himself away from problems proves to me that he's making a real effort to fit in. I asked you to help him but you almost killed him instead, first by poisoning him and later by beating him almost to deactivation. I have another question for you. Since when do I have murderers among my soldiers?"

The word resounded worse than a hit in the audios of the five Autobots.

"We weren't trying to deactivate him! A…all we wanted was to give him a lesson…"

"I don't remember having given you permission to give anybody a lesson, Sideswipe. Have any of you thought about the consequences of what you've done? You may have destroyed all the advances Thundercracker had made toward his regeneration."

Sunstreaker grimaced. "Renegeration, a Decepticon scum? Come on, Prime! Once a Decepticon, always a Decepticon! The only good Decepticon is the deactivated Decepticon…"

"I don't need you to repeat all the stupid clichés concerning our rival faction, Sunstreaker. Besides, I didn't authorize you to speak, so stay silent."

The yellow Autobot cast his leader a challenging glare, but ended bowing his head.

Optimus Prime continued speaking. "All of you have deeply disappointed me today. As you know, I do not believe in punishment or incarceration, but you need time to think about what you did and understand how vile and unfair your actions were. For the next thirty cycles, you are relieved of your usual duties. You will remain inside the Ark and will be in charge of the basic maintenance of the entire base. If I see one single dot of dust, one single wire out of place, the assignment will increase indefinitely. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, you will work separately."

"But Prime… You are reducing us to cleaning bots?! And just for a filthy Decepticreep?"

"No, Sunstreaker, this is not because of a Decepticon. If you are looking for culprits you should recall the way you soiled your insignia today. By the way, you just added ten solar cycles more to your new duties. You are all dismissed. I have no intention to keep staring at your face plates anymore."

……………

The door had't finished closing when Sunstreaker already had Mirage's finger pointing toward his face.

"This is all your fault!" Mirage cried. "You told me all that prank was about was replacing Thundercracker's energon with high grade, but you forgot to mention you intended to use him like a punching bag! I should never have listened to you in the first place!"

"Hey, just zip it, will you Mirage? I'll take care of your part of the punishment, so your aristocratic hands won't scratch with the labours of us plebeians, okay?"

Mirage shook his head and walked away, murmuring something about how stupid war was and the futility of the existence of factions. Cliffjumper and Skydive followed him, not daring to look at each other.

Sideswipe waited until they were alone to address his brother. "Maybe we should just forget about this whole thing, Sunny…"

Sunstreaker stared at him with horrified optics. "Forget?! What's your malfunction, 'Sides? Have you _forgotten_ what that punk ass Decepticon did to us?!"

"No, of course I haven't but…"

"Then you should focus on your memory banks more often. When I heard he had come here looking for protection I couldn't believe it. When I saw him with my own optics I just couldn't compute how much of a cynical junk pile he is."

Sideswipe deviated his glance before speaking again. "Maybe… you know, maybe he's not aware of what he did… Maybe he wasn't the one who…"

"Oh, slaggit 'Sides! We were there, weren't we? We saw him! Which side are you on anyway, bro?"

"Yours… ours… of course… but what Prime said…"

"This is not of Prime's concern, or anybody else's. We have our cause but we also have our honour, and I won't let that Decepticon come here and step on us like if nothing had ever happened!"

Sunstreaker finished his words with a violent punch to the wall, wishing it would be the hated face of Thundercracker instead.

_To be continued._

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_Thanks to the generosity of iratepirate, who beta readed two chapters in a row, there is a fast update on the way. See you then! Please let me know your opinions :o)_


	19. Wake up, little Seeker, wake up

_As promised, fast update. Many thanks for all your comments and to my buddy iratepirate for the fast beta reading. _

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**Chapter 19**

**Wake up, little Seeker, wake up**

A thin streak of light illuminated one side of Ratchet's face, making his optics blink.

"Huh… sorry Ratchet… can I come in?" Bumblebee said, standing uneasily at the half opened door.

"Sure, but close the door behind you. I'm trying to keep it quiet here."

Bumblebee obeyed and approached Ratchet, who was standing before Thundercracker's lying form.

"How is he?" the smaller bot asked with sincere concern.

"Not that bad. At least he's recharging now."

Bumblebee bowed his head. He was talking to Ratchet but somehow it seemed he was addressing Thundercracker. "I… I'm so sorry… I can't help thinking I could have done more to prevent this from happening…"

"I don't think you could have done much, but if you are feeling so remorseful, give me a hand here. I'm going to move him to a bigger berth. I guess some extra comfort won't kill him, right?"

"Sure!" Bumblebee said happily.

Both Autobots carried Thundercracker to the center of the Repair Bay and placed him gently on a big berth, being especially careful with his wings.

"Done," Ratchet said. "He will be more comfortable here, free to dream all he wants about conquering the Universe or whatever Decepticons dream about."

Bumblebee grinned. "You are really something, aren't you Ratchet?"

Ratchet smiled too. "Just doing my job, little buddy."

Suddenly, Thundercracker groaned and moved his arm, letting it hang over the edge of the berth.

"Whoa…" Bumblebee said. "I thought he was in stasis mode…"

"He is, but being as over energized as he is, you can't expect him to remain completely motionless. If he continues moving I'm going to have to restrain him. You should have seen when Jazz and Ironhide brought him here. The punk slagger activated his thrusters and made a mess of my favorite workbench…"

Bumblebee watched as Ratchet grabbed Thundercracker's arm and placed it on the berth again, obviously caring about the Seeker's comfort.

"It's so weird to have him here… I mean, I'm not only talking about what happened with the twins, but about his arrival here… Why would he look for shelter with us? He should have known he wouldn't be welcome."

"Decepticons are weird," Ratchet replied. "My guess is that his former comrades were really looking forward to separating his spark from his frame, so he had no option."

"Still, it must have taken a lot of courage to turn himself in the way he did."

"Courage or desperation. These days it's hard to tell the difference. After all, if the other 'Cons hadn't tried to deactivate him, he would still be part of the kill-Autobots-for-fun club."

"Yeah, and speaking of that… do you think it's true what First Aid said, that Thundercracker saved a human?"

"Call me insane, but I never doubted it."

"Then I share your madness, Ratchet. I don't know why, but somehow I see him doing that kind of thing… And I had the feeling you would think the same way. That's why you insisted that you had to repair Thundercracker when he was taken prisoner, right?"

Ratchet shook his head. "You know me too well, don't you little buddy? Yes… I admit it. To tell you the truth, I was curious. I had no doubt that this Decepticreep had saved that human, but I had to know why."

"So you asked him?"

"Not exactly. I knew the answer just by looking at him. Over the vorns we learn a lot about red optics, but I can tell you Thundercracker's optics are different to any of his kind. Usually you can see cruelty, arrogance and ambition in the glance of a Decepticon, but Thundercracker was different. His optics were more like… sad."

"Sad?"

"Yes, sad. I know it sounds stupid – and if you tell anybody I said this I will deny it – but that glance made me realize that if there's one Decepticon that can change his ways, it is this one."

Bumblebee smiled. "I agree. Even when he was still a Decepticon, he had different attitudes from the other 'Cons, 'specially his trinemates."

"Oh, a pair of twisted psychopaths, those two. Thundercracker's only resemblance to Starscream and Skywarp is his frame design," Ratchet said with a grimace of contempt.

"Perhaps that's because of his origins, you know, because he was created by one of the eldest Autobots… Technically, he is one of us."

"No, his creator was one of us. Thundercracker decided to be a Decepticon and there's nothing he can do to change that. The path to his regeneration has to focus on the future. We'll see if he has what it takes to continue that path, especially after what happened today."

"Yeah, those twins can be a real nightmare... Sometimes they behave, you know, more like…"

"Decepticons?"

"Ah… yes."

"Another of the many oddities of war, little buddy, but not to worry. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are a couple of psychos as well, but they would never embrace the dark side."

"Now you sound like that guy from that human movie," Bumblebee laughed.

"Hhhmph, the dark side is what I should embrace right now. With all this mess I haven't been able to recharge and my systems are already complaining."

"Why don't you retire to your quarters, Ratchet? I'll take care of Thundercracker."

"You?"

Bumblebee seemed offended. "Yes… Are you afraid I can't handle the twins if they decide to show up and finish their job?"

"The twins won't show up. My guess is that they will keep their profiles low for a while after the chat Optimus must have had with them by now. Besides, last thing I heard was that they will be too busy cleaning the Dinobots lair… But whether I like it or not, this Decepticon is my patient and I can't abandon him. Oh, just wait till he wakes up; he will hear me for taking so much of my time…"

"You can scold him as much as you want then, but in the meantime please get some recharge and let me guard him. I owe it to him."

Ratchet remained silent for a moment but finally nodded. "Fine, but if you have any problem or doubt, comm me immediately. And be aware. I think he snores."

Despite the seriousness of his features, Bumblebee couldn't help laughing.

…………….

According to Bumblebee's internal chronometer, the terrestrial sun had already started to shine when the door of the Repair Bay opened and an unexpected visitor entered.

"Oh, hi Carly! Where's Spike?"

Carly returned the mini bot's smile. "Good morning, Bee. He's at the workshop helping Sparkplug. We heard about what happened yesterday and I wanted to stop by to see how Thundercracker is."

Bumblebee pointed at the motionless Seeker. "See for yourself. He has been recharging like a sparkling, not moving a mechano inch since last night."

"But Bee, is it true? Were the twins really that cruel?"

"Huh, I'm afraid so… But don't worry. Optimus already dealt with them and I don't think they will mess with Thundercracker again."

"That's great to know. He really doesn't deserve to be treated that way… Oh, Bee?"

"Yes?"

"Didn't you say he was sleeping?"

"Yep."

Carly pointed upwards. Bumblebee followed her glance, only to find that saying Thundercracker was in stasis mode had been a complete exaggeration. The Seeker's arms were starting to move, but it was the blink of his optics that left no place for doubts.

The carrier of the worst Cybertronian hangover ever had just returned to online status.

……………

It had happened, finally.

There he was, lying on some anonymous battlefield, his systems struggling to remain functional only to wait for the ultimate shutdown.

His body had certainly been torn apart because he couldn't feel it. Servos, wings, thrusters… all part of the same absence.

Direct damage to his processor. A point blank shot, a missile… whatever it had been, it had blanked him. He was flying, and for the first time it wasn't a pleasant experience.

When his optics activated he didn't receive the normal status report that any Cybertronian would receive after being in stasis mode. What came to greet him were images, but especially sounds. Cruel and bizarre laughs, fists and feet impacting him, a Cybertronian scimitar cornering him more and more, somebody repeating a name, a name that he didn't recognize as his…

"_Thundercracker?"_

As brutal as a hit, he saw the face of the Autobot Bumblebee towering over him, looking at him with concern.

"Thundercracker, are you okay? How do you feel?"

His reaction was instinctive. His arm raised and his fingers closed around the smaller bot's neck. He could feel the circuitry beneath his grip starting to crush.

And he felt satisfaction.

"Where am I?" he asked roughly.

"T…the Repair Bay…"

Bumblebee was still speaking when a sudden wave of pain assaulted Thundercracker's processor. He released his prey and grasped his head with both hands.

"Aarrrgh, what the frag…?!"

"Please," Bumblebee said, rubbing his sore neck. "Try to calm down… I'll call Ratchet and…"

Totally ignoring the Autobot, Thundercracker assumed a sitting position as fast as he could, but the violence of the movement sent him to the floor.

He hit the hard metal beneath with his knees and hands. Pain extended through all his body, just like the waves of water Skywarp had created when he had thrown that rock into that terrestrial pond. If at least he hadn't saved that human plane and had joined Skywarp in the carnage instead… how different things would be now.

He couldn't understand what was happening to him. "Why… why does it hurt so much…? S…slag…"

"Y…you are not supposed to be online yet… Please, let me help you get back to the berth. Ratchet said you would recharge for at least two cycles…" Bumblebee said, offering his hand to the fallen Decepticon.

"Don't you dare touch me!" Thundercracker yelled, smacking the hand extended toward him. "Just… stay away… What is wrong with me? Answer!"

"I… I'm afraid you have a hangover…"

_Hangover? _Then it all returned. The accursed energon cube, his mind disconnecting from reality… and the pain, the pain and the mocking guffaws that had stepped all over his very sensitive dignity.

He put one hand on the edge of the berth and somehow pushed his body upwards, but once he managed to stand up he realized his legs could barely sustain him.

"Where… where are the ones who did this to me? _Where?!"_

He saw the yellow haired human femme very close to his feet, looking at him with fearful eyes. That was the way humans stared at him, with fear. He was a Decepticon, a monster to their organic eyes. That would never change.

"Thundercracker, please calm down… Before you do anything you might regret, talk to Optimus Prime first," she said.

Thundercracker ignored her. He had other priorities. He stepped forward but his suspicions about the strength of his legs proved to be correct. He fell on his knees and impacted his head against the floor in a futile attempt to replace one pain with another.

"I can't take this anymore! My head is killing me!" he roared.

Bumblebee ran toward Ratchet's desk and came back with a cube half filled with a blue liquid.

"Here, drink this. It should give you immediate relief."

Thundercracker raised his head and looked at Bumblebee without any trust. Being intoxicated a second time by any of those accursed Autobots wasn't a mistake he was willing to make.

Of course, Bumblebee guessed what he was thinking. "This is a special solution Ratchet made for cases like this; it will make you feel better. It can't counteract high grade, but it will ease the pain of your hangover. Please trust me, I'm telling you the truth."

Thundercracker sat on the floor and leaned his back against the base of the berth. He knew he wouldn't be able to stand again, not by himself.

Carly approached him carefully. "Bumblebee never lies, Thundercracker. Please trust him. He remained here all night, guarding you."

Thundercracker fixated his narrowed optics on the human. He hated to admit it, but there was something very reassuring in her voice. Giving up to whatever weakness had taken over him, he grimaced and deviated his head, extending his hand to receive the cube from Bumblebee's hands.

Swallowing his pride, he did the same thing with the blue solution. The taste was not pleasant, but the relief was immediate. Thundercracker was still drinking when his systems began to send very positive signals.

His following attempt to get up was highly successful.

"See? I told you you would feel much bett…"

Bumblebee couldn't finish. Thundercracker's hand moved like a snake and grasped him by the neck again, raising him until both mechs were face to face.

"Is there a shooting range in this base, Autobot? Answer me!"

"Stop that, you are hurting him! Put him down!" Carly cried.

"Shut your mouth plates human, this is not of your concern! Well? I'm waiting for your answer, Autobot," the Seeker spat, fixating his very threatening glare on Bumblebee.

The yellow Autobot didn't even attempt to release himself. He seemed to understand that Thundercracker was far stronger than him, even in his weakened state. That brought the Seeker a sick sense of satisfaction. His Decepticon programming was suddenly very active, after being dormant for what seemed like an eternity.

"T…the Alpha Shooting Range… It's actually outside the Ark… at the bottom part of the mountain…" Bumblebee muttered.

Thundercracker nodded slowly and released Bumblebee from his grip, putting him on the floor without any delicacy but without violence either. Then he walked towards the door, only stopping his frenetic pace to grab a certain infamous and familiar energon cube that was resting on a nearby workbench, the tangible symbol of his hurt pride.

When he left, Bumblebee and Carly looked at each other. They both were sure an inferno was about to be released.

……………….

Destiny had a cruel way to adjust timing, sometimes making the best use of the situations and the elements involved. Cruelty or justice, nobody could have told.

The Refuel Unit was full of Autobots that day, one day that was meant to be remembered. Only Optimus Prime and his closest officials were missing in what didn't seem to be more than an ordinary refueling cycle.

But the clicks of the energon cubes and the calming decibels of the common chatter were suddenly interrupted when a blue and grey tornado entered and immediately caught every optic's attention.

Everybody was surprised to see Thundercracker there. He was expected to remain in stasis mode for at least two cycles, but there he was, on his two feet and fuming, as if his systems were not still doing their best to eradicate the effects of a devastating dose of high grade.

Thundercracker stood at the center of the Refuel Unit and dedicated to the crowd a glare full of hatred and rage. He raised his hand and exposed the empty energon cube he was carrying.

"I will wait for whoever did _this _at 2200 terrestrial hours in the shooting range of this base!" he screamed. "We'll see if you are so brave with an enemy that can actually defend himself! That goes for everybody who laughed too! If you want a piece of me so much, you'll have your chance, Autobot junk piles!"

Thundercracker ended his speech by smashing the cube against the wall, shattering it into pieces. Then he brutally ripped off the electromagnetic inhibitor attached to his neck and tossed it aside, along with every remain of patience he had left.

He abandoned the room as fast as he had arrived. Outside, the unmistakable sound of his transformation could be heard, followed by a furious roar of turbines, leaving no mistake that anybody who had the bad luck to be on the way to the Ark's entrance at that time would be crushed by a very furious combat jet.

Nobody dared to speak, not even when silence reigned again.

_To be continued._

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_Seems that the unstable line of TC's patience was finally crossed. See you next update guys!_


	20. Mount Saint Helen’s new crater

_I never get tired of thanking all of you for your support and comments. I still remember when I began to write this story and its prequel, 'Purple Rain', more than a year ago and whilst watching an NFL game. Don't ask me why, but I always write my updates between plays of those games or whilst watching documentaries in Discovery Channel or Animal Planet. _

_And now that this story has grown so much I feel a lot of satisfaction and, most of all, happiness, the main reason why I write fanfiction, that and my love for hot alien metal guys ;o)_

_I hope you will enjoy this chapter. Many many thanks to iratepirate for the beta reading._

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**Chapter 20**

**Mount Saint Helen's new crater**

If Thundercracker had been inside the Ark and had witnessed the two human teenagers walking with so much familiarity inside a vessel in which they were the alien forms, he would have confirmed that Optimus Prime granted too many liberties to those creatures.

If he had been…

But he wasn't.

Standing before the vast screen of Teletraan I, Optimus Prime and Ironhide were engaged in an unintelligible conversation. For Spike, the screechy sounds their robotic friends made when speaking their native language sounded like when he tried to uselessly find some frequency on the radio, but Carly had always said that she found that language sort of poetic. Of course, Spike never understood why she would say something like that. Women belonged to another planet, after all.

Both Autobots turned around when they noticed the arrival of the newcomers and immediately started to talk in their terrestrial language, something every Autobot did each time one of their human friends was in audio range. Optimus Prime always insisted on reminding them of how important it was to make their little allies feel comfortable with them, and that included communication issues.

"So, Optimus, are you guys talking about the challenge that Thundercracker made earlier today?"

"Negative, Spike," the Autobot leader replied. "We were doing some planning concerning the positions we have gained on Cybertron thanks to the information Thundercracker provided us."

"Valuable information, I have to admit," Ironhide said, grimacing, as if the victories were more bittersweet than he wanted.

Carly seemed to be disappointed that Optimus Prime wasn't giving importance to what she considered a very serious event.

"But… what about what happened with Thundercracker? Optimus, you're not going to allow that fight to happen, right?" she asked.

Optimus Prime placed the data pad he was holding on the console of Teletraan I and faced the human femme. "I'm afraid I have to, Carly. This surpasses my authority."

"But… but I thought the Autobots were against unnecessary violence…"

Optimus approached and kneeled in front of the girl. "We are, but what Thundercracker did today was resort to an ancient Cybertronian tradition. Ever since the Golden Age of Cybertron, alternative ways of finding justice have existed for matters that don't require the intervention of the High Autobot Council."

Ironhide smirked. "In other words, if somebody messes with you, you can always challenge him to a duel and deliver him his aft plate. Many of us did that more than once to defend our honour, you know?"

"So the winner was right in whatever conflict you had?" Spike asked Ironhide.

"Not exactly. Whoever was right was kind of clear at the beginning; those duels were mostly used to vent some anger."

"But Thundercracker will be fighting several of you guys!" Carly said.

Ironhide shrugged his shoulders. "He must have a lot of anger to vent, then."

"But how could you take this so lightly? A tragedy could happen tonight."

"We are confident that such a thing won't happen," Optimus Prime said. "Thundercracker's pride is very hurt now, as his previous actions indicated, but he has the right to do what he considers proper to defend his honour. Perhaps his decision wasn't the most civilized, but it could have been worse, considering the circumstances. You should know, Carly, that this ancient type of duel forbids the use of weapons or special abilities. Thundercracker is certainly not planning on terminating those responsible for such a serious incident. He made that very clear, and that means he's not willing to return to his former life. If he had chosen a solution proper of Decepticons, he certainly would have handled this with his weapons instead."

"But, of course, that doesn't mean he won't go for the kill, or that the twins won't go for it either. I bet Sunstreaker won't take this duel with healthy sporting spirit."

Carly frowned at Ironhide. "Thanks, Ironhide… just when Optimus was starting to make me feel better about this whole insane situation…"

"Give him a break, Carly," Spike said. "They are robots, but they are guys too. They need to work out their differences somehow."

Carly wondered if Cybertronians also thought with certain parts of their bodies sometimes. It seemed so.

"Thank you Spike," Optimus said, smiling under his face plate and standing up again. "I expect this fight will put an end to the aggressive actions directed at Thundercracker from now on. I don't agree with ends justifying certain means, but in this case I have to respect his decisions and those of my subordinates."

"I understand what you say and I admit it has some sense, but still I don't see how Thundercracker is going to fight when just this morning he was so ill."

Spike laughed. "I bet he's still pretty wasted. Have you guys tried to contact him?"

Ironhide nodded. "We have, but he's not responding. Now that he's not carrying the electromagnetic inhibitor we attached to him, there's no way to know where he is and what he's doing."

"I just hope he hasn't returned to the Decepticons…" Carly said sadly.

"Nah, I don't think so. The 'Cons are rancorous suckers, and if there's one thing they don't forgive it's betrayal. They're always stabbing each other's backs, but deserting means a death sentence for sure."

"Well, I think this duel will be pretty interesting," Spike said, "but Thundercraker should've waited until he'd healed completely. He will be easy prey if he shows up with his circuits still infested with booze."

"That's his problem," Ironhide replied. "He wanted to fight and his opponents have to honour his desire. Those are the rules, if you have honour, of course."

"But… Sunny and the others will kill him."

Now it was Ironhide who kneeled in front of his favourite human. "I don't think so, Carly. Don't you ever tell him I said this, but he's no weakling. I have seen – and experienced – his abilities in hand to hand combat and I can assure you that I don't envy the twins right now. Perhaps he won't be able to win, but he'll regain his honour somehow. Personally, I think he made the right choice requesting that confrontation. It's the best way to solve things."

Optimus Prime folded his arms across his chest. "I wouldn't say this normally, but I agree with Ironhide partially. I firmly believe that violence must only be used as a last resort, but perhaps – if things don't get out of control – this fight may be the solution we are all looking for. It doesn't matter how much I forbid any violence toward Thundercracker, old rancor always finds a way to emerge. In the end, it depends only on him to gain the respect of his former enemies."

"So this is the way to gain respect? Getting killed or killing others in a duel?"

"Better that way than on a battlefield, Carly," Ironhide comforted her. "But I'd say killing is a harsh word to use. Remember that weapons are not allowed and he'll be facing one rival at the time. We'll have to wait and see the results, but my guess is that nobody will even be close to termination tonight. All those guys want is to dent their face plates a little bit, that's all."

"I understand… I have just one more question, Optimus. Is there a chance you will intervene in case things get nasty? Thundercracker will be fighting alone, after all. His chances of victory are small."

"Such intervention is out of my reach. Besides, stopping the fight would humiliate Thundercracker even more. And if we know something certain about Seekers it's that they are extremely proud. Their first cause is always themselves."

Carly bowed her head in defeat, and Spike immediately embraced her. "Come on, Carly, don't worry… I'm sure he'll be okay. It's just that sometimes guys have to do… well, guys things."

* * *

At 2155 hours the Alpha Shooting Range of the Ark, located at the bottom of the terrestrial mountain that sheltered the Autobot space cruiser and home, was more crowded than it had ever been. The only Autobot absent was Optimus Prime. Faithful to his pacifist beliefs, the Autobot leader had made it clear that he had no intention to witness the fight.

At the center of the crowd, Tracks was the most popular robot of the moment, after the combatants, of course.

"Ten energon cubes to Sunny… no, make it fifteen," Bluestreak was saying to the receiver of the bets.

"You got it…"

"Put ten on my account, Tracks. That Decepticon creep won't make it to the second fight," Smokescreen said.

Gears grimaced when Smokescreen pushed him slightly in order to reach Tracks.

"So much yelling for nothing," the grumpy Autobot said. "Do you want bets? I _bet_ that Decepticon scum bucket won't show up, and you can _bet _your rusty aft plates on that."

"Yeah, he must be back with the 'Cons by now," Trailbreaker laughed. "Decorating Megatron's throne room, most likely. How many pieces of him do you guys think are left?"

"Fifty", said a voice at the entrance.

"Fifty?" Trailbreaker repeated. "Kind of pessimistic, I was thinking more about…"

"Fifty," Jazz repeated, advancing toward Tracks. "Fifty cubes on Thundercracker, and add my CD collection."

The animated gibberish suddenly stopped. All optics were focused on Jazz, who seemed, for once, not to notice the effect of his entrance.

"Fifty…" Tracks repeated. "Woah, that's a lot of energon… but gambling has no sense if everybody is putting their fuel on the same side, right? Are you sure you can cover your bet, Jazz?"

"I never bet unless I can cover it, man, and only if I'm sure I'll walk out with three times more fuel than what I had when I walked in."

Jazz's words had their effect. It started as whispers, but soon more and more Autobots started to risk small amounts of energon in Thundercracker's favour, or, as they considered it to avoid treacherous feelings, on Jazz's.

From his spot at the back of the shooting field, Sideswipe elbowed his twin. "So much for some 'ole Autobot loyalty, huh?"

Sunstreaker smirked. "Let them. We both know this is not about any stupid gambling. I just feel sorry for you, 'Sides. You won't be able to touch that piece of Decepticon junk because I'll terminate him first."

"So you say… but what about Cliffjumper and Skydive? You didn't complain when they requested to fight first."

"Mmh, I hate to say it, but I guess Thundercracker will take them down kind of easily… If he didn't, I'd be really disappointed… We'll see what happens, but you know as well as I do that the ones that must terminate his filthy life are us. Justice must be served, you know?"

"Oh, and justice will be served, Sunny, you bet it'll be served... There will be one arrogant Seeker less by the end of the cycle."

…………….

All the Autobots were proud of Teletraan I's security system, but when the alerts started to sound announcing the proximity of a well known Decepticon energy signature flying close to the Ark, the normally paranoid Red Alert, encouraged by Inferno, disconnected the system that was his pride for the first time in his life.

But the silence of the alerts only increased the roaring thunder that could be heard, honouring the name of its carrier. Tons of rock fell victim of one of Thundercracker's powerful sonic booms as the Seeker landed through the new crater he had added to Mountain Saint Helens.

Some lights faded as the Decepticon transformed into his bipedal mode and left the debris behind him as if it had never existed. The Autobots, still shocked by his scandalous entrance, didn't pay attention to the damage their base had received.

The silence continued as Thundercracker walked toward the center of the circle created by the astonished spectators. His air intakes expelled a gust of his fury, increasing the tense environment.

Ironhide stepped forward. "Remember, Thundercracker, no weapons, no special abilities."

"Unlike most of the mechs inside this room, I am one who doesn't desecrate honour," was his response, which sounded more like a growl.

At the sound of the Decepticon's voice, the common shock seemed to end and normality returned. Insults and threats passed freely through most of the vocalizers, but Thundercracker seemed to be deaf to distractions, revenge being his only priority.

"So?" he roared. "Which one of you will I crush first? Or do I have to fight you all at the same time? Makes no difference to me."

Thundercracker frowned when he saw his first rival wasn't the one he was expecting. Cliffjumper emerged from the crowd and stood in front of him, the difference of heights very obvious and indicator of a winner.

Thundercracker grimaced with contempt but clenched his fists, ready to impact Autobot metal, no matter who it belonged to.

But before he pounced at Cliffjumper with killer rage, the small Autobot put both arms beside his body and bowed his head. Thundercracker hesitated.

"Thundercracker, I want to apologize to you for my contribution to the cowardly prank you were subjected to. It's true that I dislike you and I'm amongst the ones that opposed Optimus' decision to accept you here the most, but I should've had the courage to solve my differences with you face to face and in a fair situation, not when you didn't have any chance of defending yourself. I know my apologies must mean nothing to you, but I want to make it up to you somehow. So beat me… beat me until you feel satisfied."

Cliffjumper's words created a murmur of disapproval within the crowd. They all knew nobody was allowed to intervene and stop Thundercracker from deactivating the smaller Autobot if he decided to do so.

The Seeker's face plates were not sending optimistic signals. His red optics were narrowed in hate and sparks seemed to come from his clenched fists, making the surprise bigger when he didn't attack Cliffjumper and spoke to him instead.

"Get out of my sight, runt. I don't fight such inferior rivals," he said with a rough voice.

Cliffjumper bit his lip components, certainly offended by being called inferior, but he seemed to accept that he was in no position to defend his pride, not in that moment. He nodded slowly and stepped back.

But he hadn't merged into the crowd of Autobots when a winged flash took his place.

"Unlike my disappointing friend, I don't have any sympathy for you, Thundercracker."

The gurgling of boiling energon could be heard as Thundercracker and Skydive glanced at each other with open hostility. The point of no return had been reached.

It was official now. The combat was about to begin.

_To be continued._

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_Sorry for leaving with another cliffhanger, but perhaps you have noticed I like to do so ;o) But I promise a fast update. I've been showered with some nice Transformer inspiration lately for this and my other fanfictions._

_Love and peace, guys! All your comments are always helpful._


	21. One shall not fall

_Thanks so much for your reviews! I realized that I left last chapter in an ugly cliffhanger, so I tried to update soon. So make your bets, get some energon goodies, have a front row ticket and enjoy the following robot fight club, as two reviewers wisely named it. Be aware, energon may run, but also revelations._

_Many thanks to iratepirate for the beta reading!_

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**Chapter 21**

**One shall not fall**

The cause of thunder had been studied by human philosophers and scientists since the ancient times of the organic race, and even though speculations and certainties had been established for centuries and even called truths, perhaps witnessing the fury of the one sentient robot that called himself after a phenomenon that transcended the planet's frontiers would have added a completely new approach to something supposedly caused by lightning.

But sparks were promised as the two metallic titans closed the distance between themselves. Inexperience and anxiety devouring him, Skydive pounced, almost flew, toward his enemy, his fists unable to wait to punish Decepticon steel. But his fist found air and, before he could react, Thundercracker threw himself to the ground, trapped his rival's leg with his own and made him fall on his back.

When Skydive got back to his feet, Thundercracker had already done the same and was waiting for him. The Aerialbot attacked again but Thundercracker repeated the movement, which added a groan of frustration to Skydive's fall.

Shouts and cheers could be heard among the crowd. Most of the Autobots present considered Thundercracker a warrior of the air, so watching him fighting in such an unusual way was becoming a revealing experience.

Skydive was about to get up again when Thundercracker grabbed him by the neck and saved him the effort. Next thing the Aerialbot knew was that his face was being impacted by something with the force of a missile as he was unceremoniously thrown backwards, directly into his teammates' arms.

"Come on Skydive, what's wrong with you?!" Air Raid said, shaking his friend. "Thrash that Decepticreep!"

Skydive shook his head furiously and pushed himself off Air Raid, turning to face his enemy again.

The Aerialbot's third attack collapsed against a blue and grey iron wall. Thundercracker and Skydive grabbed each other's hands, attempting to get to each other's heads, until Thundercracker roughly pushed his rival backwards and pointed toward the hole in the mountain he had opened himself.

"My battlefield is up there!" the Seeker said.

"Suit yourself!" Skydive retorted as he transformed into his alt mode. "I'll show you what a real flier is made of!"

Thundercracker also transformed and followed the F-16 Falcon Fighter jet through the crater into the starry sky. Darkness received both combatants as the Autobots that were left beneath started to complain.

"Hey, no fair! Weren't they supposed to fight without transforming?" Bluestreak asked.

…………..

A true warrior of the air not only lived in the skies.

He also died there.

Allegiance and experience aside, the two flying combatants had to decide who kept functioning in their element, there was no other way. It was then when the sky turned into an accomplice, into a lover who would embrace the winner and wouldn't cry for the one who hadn't been worthy enough to remain flying.

Since the very first moment he felt the caress of the cold nocturnal air against his nosecone, Thundercracker knew he was the chosen one. The Aerialbot he was fighting didn't have any idea of the real meaning of the wings he was carrying. But Thundercracker did; he had sacrificed everything, his name, his heritage, his creator, to have those things, to be worthy of them.

And he would prove that in that battle. He would defeat Skydive completely, leaving no place for doubts. He had been chosen amongst thousands of Seekers to become part of Megatron's personal Aerial Elite; the time had come to prove why.

A gust of sadness and rage mixed with the wind around him. The days in which he had flown with his trinemates seemed so far away now. He couldn't believe mere solar cycles separated him from his last flight with them. He had spent half of his life flying beside Skywarp and Starscream, and even at that moment, in which he was on his own, he felt as if the two familiar energy signatures would appear any time.

But something else showed up instead. Skydive's signature became easy prey to his radar, despite the Autobot's random flight pattern. At such short distance, one missile would have been enough to send his enemy to the ground, two perhaps would cut his life…

But he had rules to follow. Victory wouldn't come from cold and impersonal weapons. He would defeat that presumptuous punk like a real flier, but that didn't mean he couldn't have some malicious, immature fun.

He opened his comm link.

"_Are you ready for the next lesson, Autobot scum? Or should I say the last one?"_

"_I see you finally decided to lose your mask of hypocrisy and show yourself like the Decepticon loser you really are. Bring it on jerk! I'll make you eat dust before you face your creator!"_

The last remark only added fuel to the fire. Thundercracker deviated his course from Skydive's and accelerated as much as he could.

"_This is something you definitely didn't practice with your geeky teammates. One keeps flying, the other one crashes. Are you ready, Aerialbot?"_

"_Always!" _Skydive replied as he added distance between them. Certainly he was aware of the unique way fliers had to state who was better.

Thundercracker waited, his engines roaring in anticipation. He had been taught to initiate hostilities, but on that occasion he would make an exception, not in consideration of the Autobot but to demonstrate who the real prince of the skies was. If at least it had been Starscream on the other side of the sky…

His radar blinked when it detected Skydive flying at maximum speed toward him. Even in alt mode, Thundercracker smirked, feeling the gesture extending toward every part of his fuselage.

He accepted the challenge and headed directly toward his enemy, neither of them willing to deviate their course from the inevitable encounter.

Nosecone against nosecone, the distance shortened, death pending unavoidably on that thin line…

Time for retribution had come.

………….

"Where did they go?"

"Slag it! Why did they have to fly away?"

"Hey, Red Alert, any chance the cameras can give us an image?"

Many vocalizers, very similar claims. Only the Aerialbots didn't seem upset about the combatants' choice.

"Let them," Slingshot said. "They have wings for a reason."

Air Raid smirked. "That Decepticon will be Skydive's turbine material. We can always use his remains for spare parts."

The sound of the engines wasn't distant. Whatever both fliers were doing belonged to their world, forbidden to others' optics. Soon, though, an explosion could be heard, providing the outside sky with an illumination that didn't come from the Ark.

Most of the Autobots tightened their mouth plates as one engine could be heard, signaling the ending of that part of the chaos and announcing one winner.

Thundercracker returned, transformed back into his bipedal mode, damaged and smoking. Victorious, but not alone. Before his feet touched the ground again, he threw the unconscious and battered body of Skydive to his teammates, who received him startled.

Not dedicating one single glance more to his defeated rival, Thundercracker faced the unfriendly faces again. He was limping, open wounds on his structure were sparking, but he looked like a rabid beast. His finger pointed toward one single mech, his optics blind to anyone else.

His challenge was accepted.

Imposing, his lustrous paintjob shining with both confidence and power, Sunstreaker faced his enemy.

Thundercracker's status was far from being optimal. His cracked canopy and several dents covering his body showed the damage sustained from his crash with Skydive, but his optics left no mistake about all the might and determination running through his fuel lines like energon. It was certain that in that moment pain was a stranger to him.

Sunstreaker didn't wait. His footsteps turned into a run and he pounced against Thundercracker, his fist thirsty for his enemy's steel. Thundercracker retreated and avoided that first punch, which took a portion of a boulder instead. Thundercracker made good use of the dust and debris to take hold of his opponent's waist and crashed him against the wall.

But Thundercracker's structure had a different opinion about its damage. The decreasing level of energy and the circuit malfunctions caused by the crash were reflected in his speed as he couldn't retreat on time and Sunstreaker's fists crashed against his back, expanding a wave of pain through his wings.

Perfectly understanding his rival's weakness, Sunstreaker grasped Thundercracker's wings and pulled, causing the expected groan of pain and, most important, the moment of distraction that allowed the Autobot to impact his knee against the Seeker's face.

Thundercracker stepped backwards, his hurt leg unable to keep him standing as he hit the ground with his knees. Sunstreaker seized the advantage and increased it, reaching his enemy and kicking him brutally in the chest, cracking his canopy even more and throwing him several mechano meters backwards.

Sunstreaker advanced toward the fallen Seeker and seized him by a crack on his canopy, lifting him up as his hands were bathed by small pieces of Thundercracker's shattered cockpit.

"I would have liked to fight you in a more functional status, but you chose to play the hero and deserve no special consideration," Sunstreaker spat. "Since the first moment I saw you, I knew I had to terminate you. The moment has come, Decepticon scum. Go to the Pit where you belong!"

The Autobot's vicious hand penetrated the wound on Thundercracker's chest, leaving no doubt about what its deadly destination was. But before the invader could reach the proximity of his spark, Thundercracker impacted his head against his rival's face, denting his nose and cracking one of his optics.

Sunstreacker cried in pain and released his victim, stepping back and holding his face.

By then, the silence couldn't have been more absolute. The sounds that could be heard belonged to the battle; leaking lubricant, circuits sparking, intakes expelling air… That was no informal confrontation. Everybody had it clear that one of those two titans would be facing termination at the end of that fight.

Half blind, but twice as furious, Sunstreaker pounced at Thundercracker, his arms throwing punches with the force of torpedoes. But despite his wounded leg, the Seeker avoided the attack. In the least expected moment, one fighter had lost serenity and the other had gained it.

One miscalculated step from Sunstreaker was all it took for Thundercracker to find the hated face of his enemy and send him to the floor with a powerful hit. Sunstreaker flew several mechano meters and collapsed into a line of offlined drones that the Autobots used for target practice. Blinded by fury more than his cracked optic, he grasped one of the drone's legs and snatched it away.

"No weapons, Sunstreaker!"

Ironhide's yell was completely ignored as Sunstreaker regained his balance and charged at his enemy, waving the thick piece of metal like a sword.

Thundercracker hesitated, suddenly taken aback by the movement. Nobody suspected that a memory had just hit him like the promise of the pain to come, the moment in which he had dared to attack the only one he had ever called leader. It certainly had looked that way to Megatron's optics, an out of control mech putting together one last agonizing attempt at victory.

A defeated mech.

Pain and memories aside, Thundercracker remained in his place and confronted the yellow fury that was about to impact him with all the force of his revenge.

He trapped the metallic bar right before it crashed against his head, opening two profound wounds on the palms of his hands in the process. Both Transformers struggled for the possession of the improvised weapon for tense astro seconds, until Sunstreaker brutally kicked Thundercracker's damaged knee. The Seeker's joint gave up and he couldn't prevent Sunstreaker from gaining the upper hand and sending him to the ground.

But Thundercracker took advantage of the brusque movement of his fall and kicked Sunstreaker in the torso, throwing him above his head. The Autobot landed heavily on his back, releasing the drone's leg. He tried to get up as fast as his sore body could, but his rival was faster and all Sunstreaker saw was a shadow towering him as he felt the heaviness of Thundercracker's foot stepping on his chest plates and pinning him to the ground.

Sunstreaker struggled but soon understood he wouldn't be able to reverse the situation. The coin had stopped rotating.

"Just finish it… What are you waiting for, you slaggin' Decepticon scum!! Kill me as you killed so many of us, you murderer!"

Thundercracker raised the sharp piece of metal and prepared to terminate his enemy.

Every Autobot present gasped, none of them doubting Sunstreaker's fate. Breaking the tacit rule of no intervention, Sideswipe stepped forward from the crowd.

"Please don't do it, Thundercracker! I beg of you!"

Thundercracker seemed not to hear Sideswipe's desperate plea. He was light years away from there, nothing more than himself, his enemy and a murderous weapon existing in that Universe.

Sunstreaker's functional optic blinked in fear when the metal bar headed toward his exposed face at supersonic speed.

It was over.

The sharp edge of the bar got lost beneath the ground, right beside Sunstreaker's terrified face.

Winner and loser glanced at each other in silence, the sterile piece of weapon nailing the dust as a signal of victory's absence.

"You insult my honour again, and I kill you," Thundercracker said. His voice was rough, but his words didn't come from easy hatred. That was his warrior code talking, his self respect. No doubt was left about what the one so easily called an enemy valued the most.

Thundercracker turned around slowly and started to walk toward the exit. The group of Autobots divided in two in respectful silence to let him walk without disturbance, tacitly understanding that there would be no more fights that night.

"_Iacon!"_

Sunstreaker's cry paralyzed the Seeker, as it did every other mech present.

Thundercracker looked over his shoulder, a frown of confusion on his face.

Sunstreaker managed to get on one knee and continued. "Iacon… the medical facility in sector 17-B. The attack that started the war. The first time you Decepticon murderers showed your faces…"

Such information was no secret. Everybody knew about that attack, so many vorns ago, as everybody knew it had been perpetrated by three mechs only, the ones that would be known as the Decepticon Aerial Elite.

Sunstreaker challenged his draining energy and got on his feet; he wasn't going to continue speaking from the ground.

"Sideswipe and I are not twins, we are triplets… Our brother, Arrowhead, was killed that day, the day in which a faction of traitors to their kind decided to massacre innocents to start their stupid war! They were _your _shots, _your_ missiles that took our brother's life! His and those of the other thirty seven mechs that died that day! Why the slag did you attack civilians?! They had no weapons, no way to defend themselves!!"

Thundercracker's face was impossible to read. He stared at Sunstreaker with absolutely no expression on his features. By the time he spoke, it seemed that an entire vorn had passed.

"I had orders to destroy that medical facility. Whatever I say right now would be an excuse, and excuses are the last thing you need. But for what it's worth, that day never made me proud."

Thundercracker didn't wait for an answer and turned around and resumed his slow pacing toward the exit. No one dared to even look him in the optics. He had earned the right to leave without being disturbed.

When he left, many questions had been left behind. Despite the revelation, despite what all the Autobots knew about their infamous guest's past, it was difficult not to confront that thing that was so easily called hate.

_To be continued._

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_As you noticed I took a major liberty with the twins – yeah, I'll still call them that way. My apologies to the hardcore Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's fans, but I did it for the sake of the story. Next update is almost done and on its way. Thanks for reading!_


	22. Aftermath, a new beginning

_Thank you very much for last chapter's great reception. Writing combat scenes in English is not easy for me due to my limited knowledge of the language, but I did my best for the sake of the excitement that the scene deserved._

_Once again I left in somehow an ugly cliffhanger, so I tried to update as fast as possible. Without more preambles, let's proceed with…_

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**Chapter 22**

**Aftermath, a new beginning**

It was amazing how simple mechano inches could turn into miles when every step was a painful reminder of just how screwed one's frame was.

Thundercracker advanced laboriously through the corridor, thankful that there was no one close to witness his predicament. It would have been extremely difficult for him to continue pretending his knee was anything resembling functional. Every step was torture; his limping was already very obvious and the corridor was too narrow to activate his thrusters and release his damaged leg of some weight.

He leaned on the wall, trying to support himself with his arms. He was sure he was about to collapse at any moment, but that was a luxury he couldn't afford, not after all that had happened.

He wasn't sure if he should have been surprised that he had managed to get out of that shooting range in one piece – if his current status could be called one piece, of course. One thing amazed him, though. He wasn't angry anymore, and deep inside he knew that, for once, hatred and revenge hadn't been his fake exit doors. It would take him some time to assign names to such feelings, but it seemed that he was starting to learn.

Such a shame it had happened so late.

A noise behind made him turn immediately, his arm mounted cannons ready to shoot. The duel was over, so there was no reason to continue honouring the tacit rule of not firing his weapons. Besides, in his current condition any kind of physical fighting was out of the question and his only chance of survival depended on his lasers.

A smaller shadow stopped, raising his hands in a typical peaceful sign. "Don't shoot, Thundercracker… It's me, Bumblebee."

Thundercracker grimaced as he lowered his cannons. "What do you want? Do you want to fight too?"

Bumblebee hurried to shake his head. "No, of course not. I just wanted to offer you my help. You're seriously injured and you require immediate repairs."

Thundercracker narrowed his optics in suspicion. Why would an Autobot want to help him after he had been publicly reminded of just how much of a killer Decepticon he was? It was insane.

True, that Autobot runt wasn't particularly treacherous. Even though Thundercracker had never faced him directly on the battlefield, the small amount of time he had spent with him after his desertion had confirmed that Bumblebee was indeed one of those Autobot clichés, one of those whose processors seemed to be filled with kindness, honour and loyalty. Starscream had always said such attitudes were nothing but a foolish cover for the natural selfishness every sentient mind possessed, but Thundercracker wasn't so sure about it anymore.

"Where did you get the stupid idea that I needed help?" Thundercracker growled in response, his anger a shivering mask.

"Maybe from the trace of energon you are leaving behind you. Those injuries are serious. Why don't you let Ratchet take a look?"

"I'm fine… Mind your own business."

"Sorry to insist, but your leg is in pretty bad shape… and just take a look at your cockpit…"

"Don't you understand I don't need any help? Leave me alone!"

Bumblebee hesitated but didn't retreat. His desire to help seemed as strong as his will, much to Thundercracker's annoyance. "I don't mean to upset you… I understand how difficult it is to accept a former enemy's help, but sometimes it takes courage to accept a hand. I'll radio Ratchet and…"

"Slag it, runt! Are your audios malfunctioning? Get the frag out of here this instant or you will see me mad, and trust me, that's a very fraggin' bad ideaaaaarrgggh!!"

Thundercracker couldn't avoid groaning I pain when his damaged knee gave up and couldn't sustain him anymore. Another curse could be heard coming from his vocalizer when he collapsed and his wounded hands impacted the floor.

Next thing he knew, Bumblebee was right beside him; no comments, no acid remarks, just a sincere and extended hand.

Thundercracker deviated his glance and swallowed his pride. "Just…" he said, taking the Autobot's hand. "… just help me to get to the end of the corridor…."

Bumblebee smiled and put Thundercracker's arm over his shoulder. "Sure thing. Just lean on me and…"

"Hey, Bee bot! What's up, man?" Jazz said cheerfully, coming from the other end of the hallway.

"As always, you arrive at the best moment, Jazz. Give me a hand here, would you?"

"Sure!" Jazz said, putting Thundercracker's other arm over his shoulder as if it where the most natural thing in the world. "By the way, TC, great fight back there. You really kicked some aft. Remind me later to share with you all the energon I won tonight. I owe it to you, man."

"W… what do you think you're doing?" Thundercracker complained, unable to believe how kindly those two Autobots were assisting him.

"Helping you walk, what else?" Jazz laughed. "You won't get too far with that leg… Geez, that's one nasty wound."

"I don't need your help!"

"You know man? I always had a question," Jazz said, ignoring Thundercracker's efforts to release himself. "Do you 'Cons have some sort of grumpy directive in your programming? You need to lose all those bad vibes, man, relax a little."

Thundercracker hesitated, momentarily stopping in his struggling. "_Grumpy? _But I'm not… Wait! Where are you taking me?"

"To your quarters, unless you wanna hit the Repair Bay first. That would be the best idea, actually. What do you think, Bee?"

"I'd say so. He's in very bad shape."

"I have no intention of remaining here one single astro klik more!" Thundercracker spat, struggling again. "You all made your point clear and I'll release you from my presence."

"And where do you plan to go?" Bumblebee asked.

"That's none of your concern."

Jazz palmed Thundercracker's back, causing the Seeker to flinch in pain. "Come on, man. You won't get too far in such a state. The Decepticons will attack you first sight if you start to wander around by yourself. Besides, don't talk for all of us. I wasn't against your presence here when you first arrived, and I'm certainly not now. What about you, Bee?"

"Same here."

"See? Drop that bad Decepticon attitude for once and let us help you. Get yourself repaired, rest a couple of cycles, and think things over. Nobody is kicking you out, TC, why are you doing it?"

Thundercracker stopped struggling and bowed his head. "What your friend said… about that medical facility… I wouldn't blame any of you if you decided to shoot me in the head right now…"

Jazz's face became strangely serious. "We all have stains in our past that we regret. War does those things... make us all killers. A lot has happened between us to start assigning blame, TC, it would be a never-ending circle. At least that's what I believe."

Thundercracker's vocalizer closed. He couldn't have replied, even if he'd wanted to. He relaxed his body as much as the pain allowed him to and allowed Jazz and Bumblebee to guide him.

………

Thundercracker had never been a fanatic when it came to the recharge mode, but when his sore frame was finally placed on the flexible surface of his berth, he knew there was no other place he wanted to be at that precise and insane moment of his life.

"Hey man, isn't that berth too small for your wings?" Jazz asked. "I'll ask Grapple to design you a special, fancy berth for fliers. I'm sure he'll tell me to frag off, but it's worth trying."

"I'm fine…"

"Well, your berth is bigger than mine," Bumblebee said, grinning. "But that's to be expected because you are taller than me. Did your quarters at the Decepticon base resemble these?"

"Huh… not really."

"I bet they were pretty creepy," Jazz said, scanning Thundercracker's knee. "Mmh, you know what? That _is _a nasty wound. Lemme radio Ratchet…"

"That won't be necessary," Bumblebee said, grinning and pointing toward the open entrance, where Ratchet was already making his way in.

Thundercracker shot the newcomer a killer glance, trying to disguise his embarrassment. "What is this? The day of pitying the Decepticon? What do I have to do to be left alone?!"

Ratchet didn't seem to be impressed by the Seeker's rant. "Not talking nonsense would be a good start. You may babble whatever you want, but know this: I won't leave this room until you've had basic repairs, and when I say basic I mean no energon leaking, no sparking circuits, no system malfunctions, and especially not a potentially broken knee joint!"

There was something in Ratchet's voice that was more than intimidating. It was like that blasted Autobot medic was the voice of reason itself, a conscience with vocalizer. Thundercracker had no defense against that, not in the state he was in, reduced to zero.

Ratchet interpreted his silence. "No more shouting, then? That's better. Accepting help is something terribly difficult for you, I can see that. I'd dare to say that big ego of yours was in your spark long before you joined the Decepticons… but that's not our business here. I see you took serious damage to your chest plates, but that doesn't really worry me. Your knee, on the other hand… Come on now, stretch your leg, if you can still move it."

Thundercracker had always been one of the very few Decepticons able to recognize and accept defeat. He was feeling more and more embarrassed, but he didn't protest anymore and allowed Ratchet to sit beside him on the recharge berth and start examining him.

"Mmmh…. Not good, your knee joint is broken. That surpasses the capacities of any auto-repair system. I can weld it temporarily right now, but you'll have to come to the Repair Bay first thing tomorrow in order for me to replace it."

Thundercracker scowled. "Is there any other alternative?"

"Sure there is. You can limp the rest of your life," Ratchet replied as he prepared a dose of painkillers.

Thundercracker watched in awkward silence as Ratchet worked on his marred knee with remarkable care. It was so uncommon. As a Decepticon warrior, he was used to pain. Being the receiver of kindness or sympathy was so new for him, as new as it was uncomfortable, considering that the one on the other side was supposed to be an enemy.

It had become so easy, calling any behaviour not included in the strict Decepticon code cowardice. But Thundercracker wasn't sure anymore, he wasn't sure about many things he had always taken for granted.

"Mmmh…" Ratchet said. "Although I'm sure you took a big hit in your aerial duel with Skydive, I'd dare to say your knee joint was damaged before. An old wound, perhaps?"

Chief medical fragger… that Autobot really could see more than the eye.

"Yes," Thundercracker replied awkwardly.

"Why didn't you have it repaired?"

"I could never find the time… What's so important about it, anyway?"

"It is important, because if you had faced the insane duel you had tonight with perfectly functional servos, perhaps you wouldn't have your leg practically hanging from a bunch of wires right now."

"Look Autobot, I am… was… a Decepticon Seeker. I couldn't afford to make a fuss about some minor injury, or else I would've been as good as a pile of spare parts."

"Well," Jazz said, approaching and palming Thundercracker's shoulder. "We function different here. You don't need to worry about those things anymore."

"Especially after the free display of savagery that you, Skydive and Sunstreaker treated us to tonight… Thank you very much for adding more work to my already tight agenda."

Bumbebee grinned. "What Ratchet is saying, in his own language of course, is that you gained our respect, and I dare to say the same happened with most of our comrades. I don't think anybody will mess with you after tonight."

The sparks caused by Ratchet's laser scalpel working on Thundercracker's knee illuminated the Seeker's serious countenance. "That… or perhaps it will get worse. Why are you all here helping me, anyway? You should be assisting your teammates instead."

"Mmph," Ratchet said. "Skydive will definitely need some time in the cryogenic chamber and Sunstreaker will require partial reconstruction of his face plates, not to mention his ego, but they will both survive. Besides, Wheeljack and Hoist are taking care of them right now and my assistance was not required. So what better way to spend my night shift than preventing you from leaking more fuel all over the base?"

"In other words," Bumblebee insisted, "there was no way Ratchet was going to let you go unrepaired. He hates the idea of any of us being in pain, and that includes you now."

"Don't you have something else to do, Bee?" Ratchet asked with an apparent bad mood. "I don't remember requesting your translation services."

Bumblebee burst into laughter. Jazz didn't delay in following.

"Okay," Ratchet said, closing Thundercracker's burned knee panel. "I've done everything I can without proper equipment. You'll experience a lack of sensory coordination for a couple of breems and maybe some dizziness because of the painkillers, but you should have a rested night. If you don't, you are to comm me immediately, got it? And remember, I want your aft in the Repair Bay tomorrow as soon as you finish your recharge cycle."

"Whatever…" Thundercracker growled in response.

"If you're done with that, Ratch, I'd say we take off," Jazz said. "Thundercracker's already experienced too many emotions for one cycle and he needs to rest."

The three Autobots walked toward the exit. Right before leaving, Ratchet turned around and glanced at his patient one more time.

"You put up a good fight, Thundercracker. I knew honour wasn't a stranger to you."

Thundercracker didn't reply, he wouldn't have known what to say. When the door closed and he was left alone, he gave up to fatigue and started to shut down his systems. Before his optics offlined, he couldn't help but notice the orange ceiling above him, which suddenly looked so welcoming.

_To be continued._

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_Many thanks to iratepirate for the beta read. _

_Update almost done, you can count with it in a few days. Thanks for reading!_


	23. Dishes better served cold

_This chapter shows a little bit of two sides of the coin. Thank you very much to iratepirate for the beta reading and for throwing me some great ideas :o)_

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**Chapter 23**

**Dishes better served cold**

It was an exaggeration.

Truly, an exaggeration.

Not to mention a waste of time and resources, and the unbearable torment of immobility.

Why spend half a cycle and waste so many medical resources on repairing one non-fatally wounded mech?

It was beyond Thundercracker's comprehension.

Self-embarrassment was also an important part of the equation, as Thundercracker could barely look at himself whilst sitting on the repair berth in his quarters at the Ark with his right leg lifted and comfortably hanging from a harness attached to the ceiling.

Ratchet had been very clear after the thorough repair session he had performed on him earlier that cycle: he had to keep his leg motionless for the rest of the day, otherwise he could ruin the masterpiece Ratchet had created with his knee joint, as the medic himself had called it.

"_Good as new, Thundercracker, just like when you left the assembly line. I strongly recommend you to keep it that way. Mess with my repair job again and you'll receive a wrench right between your optics. And I'm not joking!"_

Thundercracker smiled slightly with the memory. That medic was something else indeed. Who was he trying to fool with those outbursts, when it was obvious he was one of the worst cases of Autobot kindness?

But his smile disappeared almost immediately. He couldn't forget his forced confinement. Not being allowed to move meant not being allowed to fly, and his small quarters had nothing to entertain his bored processor, nothing but the so called 'idiot box', carrier of the human communications network.

He finally gave up to boredom and turned on the screen of his computer terminal. As Prowl had told him, it wasn't linked to Teletraan I, but it received some human broadcasts instead.

Zipping through frequencies would not bring him any satisfaction, but still it was better than spending the day sitting and feeling like a useless drone.

Watching human television had never been among his hobbies, but he had some knowledge of the insane and bizarre contents of its broadcasts. It was common amongst the Decepticons – and apparently it was the same for the Autobots – to watch human shows regularly, even if it were for morbid purposes.

Such an insignificant fact, that normally wouldn't have caused him anything but contempt, detonated something inside his processor that he had to recognize as nostalgia. He remembered those endless night shifts at the Nemesis, fulfilling the boring surveillance duties at the computer terminals in the Command Center. The blinks on the console and the sterile radars were easily overshadowed by Skywarp's resounding guffaws as he navigated through television frequencies, the majestic main screen of the Nemesis base violated by all kind of alien images.

"_Oh slag, what a crash! It reminds me of the racing circuit in Kaon, don't you agree TC? Remember that cycle when those two contestants crashed and a piece of chassis hit you right on the head when you were trying to impress that femme? You made such a fool of yourself!"_

"_Mmph, I was distracted… besides, I don't see how human vehicle accidents can compare with Cybertronian competitions."_

"_Of course they can't compare, but slag, aren't they funny… I bet you ten energon cubes that the human driving that ground-pounder that resembles Breakdown met his maker."_

"_You better have those cubes ready, Warp. See? He survived."_

"_Blast… what a waste of resources if they repair him, really."_

"_Do you mean the vehicle or the human? Change the frequency. We have enough ground-pounder action with the Autobots. If at least these human broadcasts had some sort of aerial combats…"_

"_Okay okay, don't blow a fuse… Oh wow, would you look at that? Now that's what I call organic interfacing!"_

"_Are those two females?"_

"_Yep, kind of hot isn't it?"_

"_I would never be among the kind that finds humans arousing."_

"_Always the boring one, TC. Unlike you, I happen to find humans useful. You know, if I was really desperate, I would kidnap a group of fleshling femmes and make them please me."_

"_I wonder how they would manage to achieve that. No, forget about it. You would find a way. Lately you frag everything that has legs and a spark, legs not exactly being a priority."_

"_Ha, double ha. Very funny, TC, aren't you hilarious tonight?"_

"_I'm bored, that's how I am."_

"_Well, these fleshy femmes interfacing are better than watching the same energy readings of every late shift. Or what do you prefer? Displaying the surveillance cameras only to watch Swindle carrying contraband or the Coneheads making out? Booooring…"_

Thundercracker's journey through his memory banks ended abruptly with a buzz, coming from somewhere behind him. It took him some astro kliks to realize it was the control panel of his door; a visitor was requesting access.

"Ah… it's unlocked," Thundercracker said, hurrying to turn off the screen.

When the door hissed open, the Seeker almost fell off the berth.

"Greetings, Thundercracker, please don't get up. I'm pleased to see your status is improving," Optimus Prime said.

"Eh… it is, I appreciate your concern. That medic, Ratchet, performed repairs above my expectations."

"Ratchet has a difficult personality component, as I'm sure you have already noticed, but he's an outstanding medic, not to mention one of the best mechs that Vector Sigma ever sparked."

"I… I'm sure he is… I apologize, Optimus Prime. I wasn't expecting your arrival and I'm afraid my circumstances don't allow me to follow the protocol proper for your rank…"

"Please," the Autobot leader replied, sitting on a chair beside the recharge berth. "I already told you there is no military protocol to follow here. Besides, you are expected to rest until your systems assimilate the repairs."

Thundercracker's face became serious, leaving embarrassment behind. Protocol or not, he figured that Optimus Prime wasn't the kind to just pay visits to have casual talks.

"I think I know the reason for your presence here."

Optimus Prime seemed to be curious. "Really? And what would that be?"

Thundercracker bowed his head. "I'm not familiarized with the Autobot code of behaviour, but I'm sure I violated some rules by challenging your warriors to a duel."

"It's true that those duels are not common among us, but you were defending your honour, and that's something I would never condemn. I revised the visual file of the combat and I didn't find anything to reproach you for, unlike – regrettably – some attitudes of my Autobots. I don't find any satisfaction in their defeats, but I admit they didn't deserve victory."

"I appreciate your words and everything you have done for me, but I'll take this opportunity to inform you that, unless your decision to discard the charges against me had changed, I'll leave as soon as my leg is fully healed."

"That decision doesn't surprise me, but even though your reasons should be logical, I would like to hear them from your own vocalizer."

"It's obvious that most of your warriors don't want me here. I have tried to stay away from them but my presence alone is a demoralizing factor. My departure is the best option for both our interests."

"And what would those interests be, in your case? Are you planning to return to the Decepticons?"

"Of course not… and now less than ever. In Megatron's optics, there is nothing more despicable than a traitor, and I'm sure my former comrades already figured out my destination after escaping the Nemesis."

"Another reason why you should stay here. Megatron knows better than to attack this base, as decisive defeats have shown him. You overreact, Thundercracker. It is true that some of my Autobots have given you a very rude welcome, but I dare to affirm that yesterday you honourably won the respect of most of the Cybertronians in this base, mine included."

"Your… respect?"

"Affirmative. I told you before, I have witnessed your behaviour on the battlefield ever since we became enemies, and even then I never saw a murderer, but a warrior fighting; perhaps for the wrong reasons, but a warrior that knows what honour means. Given your unquestionable Autobot origins and the demeanor you have shown since your arrival here, I firmly believe you can regenerate. As a matter of fact, it was you who detonated the process."

Regenerate… the word was scary, but strangely attractive. Having a new life, being a new mech… If there was one thing that Thundercracker had been sure of when he had returned from Cybertron after his creator's death, it was of the need to change. He wasn't satisfied with himself anymore, he had never been.

"My Autobot origins… I turned my back to them so long ago; I really don't know if I can find them again."

"You already have, Thundercracker. All you have to do is give yourself the opportunity to explore and understand them, but they are within you; they could never be erased."

"But that won't be enough… how could it be? The burden of my past actions cannot be erased either."

"Remorse can be a positive engine if used properly, and I dare to say you're reaching that moment."

"I… yes… what Sunstreaker mentioned is not the only episode I wish had never happened."

"Lamenting your mistakes is a very important step. You took the first one when you came here, a brave action that deserves my admiration. Even in the duel you had with my soldiers you showed your real temper; you had the right to terminate your opponents, but you decided not to do it. You are beginning to understand that there are alternatives to destruction. Mercy also makes a warrior, just as much as courage does."

Thundercracker remained silent. Optimus Prime's words were so contrary to Megatron's. The Decepticon code of honour was based on might, on the rightful use of force to impose order and discipline. And here it was the opposite scenario, exposed before him with so few words…

"I know your life has not been what you expected," Optimus Prime continued, "but trust can make a difference. We Autobots are not perfect, but we support each other without distinctions. You could be part of that too, if you chose to be."

"I… I… It's still too early for me to decide… I mean, everything has happened so fast…"

"The last thing I want is to hurry or influence your decisions. Know that the invitation is open. I will be absent for some cycles with some of my officers. Actions based on the classified information you provided us with demand my presence on Cybertron. In the meantime, regardless of what you decide to do, I ask you to reconsider your decision to leave and stay here instead, at least until I return and we can talk about this issue with the depth it deserves. I speak the truth when I say you can consider this base as your home."

Thundercracker stared speechless at the Autobot leader. Once again words were out of the Seeker's reach. There was something strange in Optimus Prime, something disturbing and comforting at the same time. He had such a peculiar way of speaking, as if he injected confidence and optimism into every one of his words. It wasn't strange that his soldiers followed him with so much loyalty, respecting him for so much more than his power. Thundercracker couldn't help but think how different things would be if he had found Optimus Prime first, back in the days of his rebellious youth. Perhaps, more than perhaps, he would have become one too… a loyal and incorruptible Autobot.

"I… I guess I can stay," was all he could say when he finally managed to find the way to make his vocalizer function again.

………

Skywarp had never asked himself why Seekers were organized in trios. Ever since he was a cadet in the Iacon Military Academy, that had been the order of things, and he had always accepted it. First, because questioning the commands and teachings of a superior officer was completely out of order, and second, because following orders was far easier. If the military life had taught him something it was that it was better to let others make the decisions.

So it was very curious that he was asking himself why the slag Seekers functioned in trios, precisely in that moment in which he could barely walk.

With all his senses numbed by an overwhelming dose of high grade, Skywarp came to the conclusion that it was all a fragging joke. If trines were supposed to work together, to watch each other's fuselages, to become one deadly arrow in the sky… it was just a farce.

Because he was on his own now, a lonely Seeker. With his trine dissolved, hierarchies had radically changed inside the Nemesis without any need of an official announcement. The Coneheads had self-assumed the position of the elite trine of the Decepticon army and they occupied most of their time showing off and kissing Megatron and Starscream's afts, both activities equally despicable. The moronic, servile, crawling vermin… what could be expected from a trio of junk piles that thought that adulation was the best way to success?

Then again, perhaps it was, as the sight in front of him confirmed. Although, in Starscream's case, it had taken more than adulation; it had taken deceit, lies, countless betrayals, total renouncement of his own dignity…

"What the slag are you doing outside my quarters, Screamer? Frag off, I'm tired and I could use some recharge."

Starscream smirked and didn't move from his place, leaning on Skywarp's door with his arms folded across his chest.

"Tired? Wasted would be a more proper term, although even that would be an understatement. So now you over energize when you are supposed to be on duty? How the clowns have fallen… don't you think Skywarp?"

"As I said, frag off… It's not like it's the first time I have had some high grade during duty hours, so go and pester somebody else."

"Indeed it isn't the first time, but the reasons you are doing it now are quite new for you, am I right? You just don't know how to deal with your pain. How pitiful, not to mention utterly disgusting."

"Shut up."

"Ah, the unavoidable sting of truth… You know, honesty can be such a powerful weapon. I should use it more often."

Skywarp leaned one hand on the wall, unable to continue walking. Teleporting into his quarters was always an option, but in his current state jumping into innerspace was as dangerous as it was deadly. Reappearing embedded in the wall was always a risk. He had mutilated one of his arms that way once, despite Thundercracker's warnings…

Hands turned into fists as an automatic reflex. Following the same pattern, they found the hard surface of the wall beside him.

Starscream's smirk only increased as he delighted himself with his wingmate's weakness. A predator ready to subdue his prey.

"So you miss him? What's new? Although I have my doubts, Skywarp. Was that senseless outburst motivated by frustration, or by rage? I dare to say that you don't miss Thundercracker as much as you hate him."

"What I don't miss if your screechy, whining voice…"

"There are no limits to what I can see. Dare to deny it, you moron! Dare to deny you have lost your precious status before everybody's optics. What are you, but a joke? Nobody respects you anymore, and from disrespect to annihilation the distance is very short."

"I don't know what the slag you're talking about."

"Are those dents in your chest plates and head a new fashion caprice, Skywarp?" Starscream interrupted him. "Looking closely, I would say they have the mark of a Triplechanger fist. What happened? You have some unfortunate encounter with Astrotrain or Blitzwing before they departed for Cybertron?"

Skywarp didn't reply. It was true, much to his humiliation. He had had to escape from his own comrades in arms after they had attacked him. His relationship with the Triplechangers had never been remotely close to the friendly type, but he had never thought the day would come in which he would have to watch his own back in the so called security of the base he shared with his comrades in arms.

"And they are not the only ones calling you traitor, as far as I know."

The accursed word hit Skywarp as a missile. He raised his head and stared at Starscream, unable to hide his frustration anymore.

"I'm no traitor!"

"I know that, otherwise you'd already be in the melting pit. But unfortunately the others are not like me. They smell it, Skywarp, they smell betrayal as much as they hate it. Just because you were close to Thundercracker is enough for them to put you under the same spotlight."

The mention of his former friend made Skywarp's optics shine with fury. "I'm not like him! I'm a true Decepticon! I would never betray our cause!"

"Once again, that is a piece of information I already know… But you are not to blame for what is happening to you. It's Thundercracker's fault, all his fault. I warned you about establishing affective bonds with him, ever since you two were assigned as my wingmates, didn't I? Allowing friendship to become part of your life is a sign of weakness, a typical Autobot behaviour, and thus, a prelude for decadence and defeat. And now you see the results… Or tell me, did Thundercracker hesitate in betraying the Decepticon cause, in betraying _you? _He left, not caring a pit for the situation he would leave you in."

"He… he should have talked to me…"

"Well, he didn't. He didn't look back and didn't give a slag about you. And where is Thundercracker now? Happily flying with his Aerialbot friends, protected by Prime's mercy and playing the good honourable Autobot. I wonder if he still remembers you for something other than mocking you."

Skywarp bowed his head, his fists trembling with fury, his frustration a delicious dish to Starscream's malice.

"I'm not your toy…" he muttered.

When Starscraem approached to improve his audio range he was violently pushed. Next thing he knew he was pinned to the wall, Skywarp's arm mounted cannons aiming toward his face.

"I'm not your toy, Screamer!" Skywarp roared. "I know what you're doing and you underestimate me if you think I'm gonna become your pawn that easily! A big mistake!"

Although taken by surprise, Starscream didn't attempt to release himself.

"A pawn?" Starscream said, laughing. "But Skywarp… you already are. But it wasn't me who put you on the board. Rage is one of the many rights of a Decepticon, but you are directing it toward the wrong mech. The question you should ask yourself is if you will have the temple to behave like a true believer in our cause. Will you, Skywarp? The time for making amends is coming, time for returning logic to its proper place… Time to deal with treason."

Skywarp released Starscream, all his strength suddenly vanishing. Resentment was far more inebriating than any high grade.

Without waiting for an answer, Starscream continued. "Thundercracker will be captured, and he will have to answer for his crimes. Now tell me soldier, what's the punishment for a betrayer?"

_Soldier… _Starscream never called him – or Thundercracker – that. Military protocol was a major absence in their… in his relationship with his Air Commander. A simple word, perhaps, but also a signal of how serious Starscream was about the whole matter.

"I asked you a question, Skywarp. Answer me, I command you!"

"T…termination…"

"I didn't hear you, soldier! I knew you were a moronic glitch, but since when did you become so weak?"

"TERMINATION!"

An evil smirk reappeared on Starscream's face as he approved with a slow nod of his head. "Precisely… termination. Our warrior code specifies it, and our own honour confirms it. Ultimate punishment for the ultimate crime. Now tell me, how would you execute the traitor? What would you choose for the one who not only betrayed your cause, but yourself?"

"W…what?"

"No matter what Megatron says, we Seekers solve our issues between ourselves. Thundercracker injured our trine much more than he injured our cause. In the case of treason, there is no such thing as a lesser evil, but still, we fliers have our own rules, even fake fliers like Thundercracker. My offer still stands, Skywarp; allowing you to execute that traitorous scum is allowing you to get yourself together, to recover your lost honour. Now tell me, isn't that what real comradeship is all about?"

Skywarp didn't reply, but didn't reject Starscream when he put an arm around his shoulders and guided him through the corridor, that suddenly seemed endless. He was, indeed, his Air Commander's toy, and there was nothing he could do about it. Or perhaps there was nothing he_ wanted_ to do about it… Maybe Starscream was right, and all he needed was to focus all his anger on the only one that had caused it.

_To be continued._

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_Update coming soon, and another storm is on the way. Thank you for all your comments and suggestions :o)_


	24. Crossroads

_I got a kick of inspiration for this story and I have the following three chapters almost done. Fast updates are on the way! Thanks to iratepirate for her beta reading services and support. _

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**Chapter 24**

**Crossroads**

The next few days were odd, to say the least. It was perhaps because, after going through so many hectic and potentially deadly events in such a short lapse of time, Thundercracker reencountered that double faced monster called habit.

And he wasn't the only one stripping the still strange situation of a Decepticon living among Autobots from its naturally morbid side.

No longer a novelty, seeing Thundercracker inside the Ark stopped being an offensive sight, at least not to the point where mechs actually wanted to deactivate the intruder.

Every time the terrestrial sun rose again, less and less pairs of optics stared at the Decepticon with automatic distrust, even less hate. Just as time made its miracles, tolerance started to operate. And more than that, Bumblebee, Ratchet and Jazz stopped being the only Autobots who treated Thundercracker with something similar to sincere kindness; the list had grown with Wheeljack, Perceptor, Hoist and, surprisingly, Ironhide. The rest of the Autobots, although still disliking their uncomfortable guest, seemed to have tacitly decided to ignore him.

Which was perfect for Thundercracker. The last thing he was expecting were friendly faces or kind words from mechs who wouldn't have a problem in using him for target practice. It was more than enough for him that the aggressions toward his persona had ceased. Even the hateful twins seemed to have given rest to their personal conflict with him. Sideswipe bowed his head every time he crossed paths with Thundercracker, and Sunstreaker didn't go further than shooting him rabid glances. Both reactions were equally insignificant for the Seeker, more than happy to be left alone.

But it was his own reaction that surprised Thundercracker the most. Despite already being allowed to fly, by both his already healed wounds and Optimus Prime's authorization, he hadn't abandoned the ground since his aerial combat with the Aerialbot Skydive.

It was strange, perhaps too melodramatic for his taste, but he had decided to willingly renounce the skies in order to have time to think and make important decisions, or at least attempt to. Why he had to do such things away from the only place in which he felt utterly free and complete was an enigma, or perhaps a kick from his Autobot side, obviously sentimental, guiding him toward sacrifice in search of a major goal.

What exactly that major goal was, though, still remained within the intricate web of his thoughts. One thing certain about the self-evaluation of one's adult life was that it left more doubts than solutions. But the hope that beat at every corner of such journey was a very welcomed bonus.

Optimus Prime had given him an invitation that hadn't abandoned his processor, not even for an astroklik. It was so bizarre, somehow obscene, to picture himself becoming what he had called an enemy for eons. But the Autobot leader was right about something: Thundercracker couldn't ignore his Autobot origins, not anymore. They had always been there, pumping like a very uncomfortable fuel, always ready to torture him for all the errors of his ways. It had been so easy to dream when he was a sparkling, to aspire to wings that weren't meant to be for him. And yet, he had earned them, no matter the sacrifices, and they were part of him now, the most important part.

But no… perhaps there was something more to him than wings. Perhaps the most important part of him was yet to be discovered.

Thundercracker leaned his hand on the wall, standing at the entrance of the Ark. He suddenly felt so disorientated, bearing a weight his shoulders were not ready to bear. Torture… peace… they could be so alike. Finding his own identity was proving to be the hardest challenge of his entire lifetime. But wasn't that the way it was supposed to be?

Without explicitly thinking, he transformed, ending his period of exile from the skies. Servos displaced and rearranged themselves, his structure assuming the form of the F-15 terrestrial jet that, paradoxically, an Ark's probe had chosen for him and his trinemates.

When he flew through the sky at a speed that challenged any human standards, Thundercracker wasn't returning to his element. He didn't even think about it. He had a place to go, the only one in which he could be heard.

………

With an alien world came new knowledge, and thus, new weaknesses to exploit. Megatron had stated that point more than once, every time he had used human paranoia to his advantage.

Thundercracker was currently doing it too, although his reasons were quite different. As he entered the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, he was grateful that, due to such paranoia, caused by superstitions but also by recent events, no humans were likely to be found close, even less at the bottom of the ocean. He was also thankful that his former comrades in arms had lost all interest in the zone after Megatron had exterminated whatever was left of their former allies, the Sub-Atlanticans.

So the bottom of the sea had been covered with countless bodies and shattered ruins; Thundercracker knew well because he had had his share of the carnage. In that time, he hadn't been particularly conflicted in vaporizing those green flesh creatures. They were a race of warriors, self-appointed conquerors, who had the nerve to betray the alliance with the Decepticons. As for the civilians that had perished as well, the hundreds of females and sparklings… Thundercracker had preferred to deviate his gaze, as he always did in those situations.

A Decepticon did what a Decepticon had to do.

It was so amazing. From those days to the current ones the distance was as short as a sigh, yet Thundercracker felt it abysmal.

He passed close to the remains of the destroyed city, but this time Thundercracker didn't dedicate Sub-Atlantica even a single glance. His attention was fixated on his destination, a small cave at the bottom of the ocean, one of many that the deceased race had used for ceremonial purposes.

He transformed to his bipedal mode as he entered, his feet arousing small fragments of sedimentary rocks. He advanced a few steps and fell on one knee, respectfully bowing his head before the small and shiny black box that rested on some sort of shrine.

Thundercracker had never questioned himself for his decision to put his creator's remains to rest in the religious sanctuary of an alien race. Agnostic as he was, his motives had been only practical, the solitude of that spot of Earth being the strongest one.

Carrying said remains from Cybertron had been an entirely different matter. As the Cybertronian tradition indicated, Cranker's offlined corpse should have been ejected into space. But his creator was no warrior, and Thundercraker knew that floating in space for eternity wasn't what the stubborn and simple mechanoid would have wanted. Leaving him in some anonymous crypt on Cybertron wasn't an option either. There was no secret that Empties and lowly warriors, no matter their factions, were always in search of spare parts and didn't have any problems in desecrating offlined bodies, even if they were mostly melted.

So he had taken with him the small box that contained his beloved father and sheltered it in that grave, perhaps guided by weakness and sentimentalism. There was no doubt that he possessed, indeed, that soft side every Autobot had.

He hadn't been there since that day. He wasn't looking forward to attracting unwanted attention, but mostly, he was afraid he couldn't bear to see what he had caused himself.

But as he raised his head and stared at the hermetically sealed box, he knew there was no other place he could be in that precise moment of his life.

"What should I do, father?"

He knew an answer wouldn't come, but just the act of speaking out loud to the one being that had loved him meant everything to him. He was facing a challenge, perhaps the biggest of his life, and he wasn't sure of anything anymore, not as he thought he had been.

Some said that one mech's life was dictated by his decisions. Thundercracker had made one, too many vorns ago, a decision that caused him the loss of his only family. And now he was standing before the crossroads again. If at least he knew which road had the dead end and which one the light… Perhaps they were both equally deceitful. Darkness had more than one face, after all.

"_If you go through that door, don't ever think of coming back! I renounce you… If you join those traitors… you will murder my son…"_

The words pronounced by his father when Thundercracker had decided to join the Decepticons would haunt him for life, red-hot daggers eternally injuring him, pointing toward the biggest mistake of his life.

His creator had been right. He had murdered the son, but also the father. How could he find redemption after that?

He looked over his shoulders, staring fixedly at his wings. The purple Decepticon insignia seemed to brighten in response, challenging his doubts and reminding him not of who he was, but who he had chosen to be.

Had the time come, then, to make another decision as drastic as that one, to try to make amends with his mistakes?

Thundercracker fell to the ground, hands and knees hitting the sediment beneath.

"What should I do?!" he yelled in desperation.

Organics were so proud of their ability to produce tears. Little did they know that there were other ways to cry.

……..

The solar cycle was close to reaching its sundown when Thundercracker returned to the Ark. He didn't know what he would say if he was questioned about his absence. He hadn't thought about how suspicious his behaviour would look to the Autobots' optics. Lying was not a choice he was looking forward to making, but the truth was so private, so his own. Not even Skywarp, the closest – not to mention the only – friend he ever had, knew about the real fate of his creator's remains. And Thundercracker intended to keep it that way.

But that wasn't the reason why Thundercracker didn't enter the Ark immediately, but decided to land outside and sit amongst a tree formation close to the volcano.

There was something warm in the dying sunlight, a tacit invitation. He had never been fond of planet Earth, but he had to admit that some of its natural phenomena had a relaxing effect on him. And the sunset to come was what he needed in that moment, something – as small as it could be – that gave him a gust of peace. His conflicted processor needed it.

Perhaps he could stay there until the night time, trying to give some closure to a day that had been calm only in appearance. Besides, the starry sky was always a welcome sight; it reminded him of Cybertron's sky.

More sentimentalism… He slowly shook his head. Had he always been so… _Autobotish?_

A tiny heat signature caught his attention. Arousing small clouds of dust, a ground vehicle advanced toward the Ark. It wasn't an Autobot; it didn't take an advanced scan to realize it was a lifeless machine.

He hoped the human driving the vehicle wouldn't notice him. The last thing he wanted was to stand some earthling staring at him as if he was a freak. But luck wasn't in his side that day, as the cloud of dust deviated its course and headed toward his location.

Thundercracker grimaced, a gesture that didn't soften once he saw the yellow hair that revealed the human's identity. That annoying young female… Why couldn't she just leave him alone? He felt some sort of shiver when he realized that he would also have to bear those human pests if he decided to accept Optimus Prime's offer…

Life was so weird, so absurd indeed.

The vehicle stopped close to his feet. The door of the driver opened and Carly appeared, carrying that smile and optimism that she never seemed to leave behind.

"Hi Thundercracker!"

His serious countenance didn't change. He pointed toward the Ark and hoped she would leave immediately.

"The Autobots are inside."

"I actually came to pick up Spike. He came earlier to challenge Bumblebee and Hound in some videogame tournament… pretty childish if you ask me."

Thundercracker didn't reply; whatever ludicrous activities the Autobots and humans shared couldn't have been less important to him.

The last ray of light coming from the sun disappeared, reflected on his greyish face. Twilight had arrived.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Carly asked, glancing at the orange and pinkish tones of the sky.

"Different," Thundercracker found himself replying.

"Are there landscapes like this on Cybertron?"

"We don't have a sun, like your planet."

"Yeah, I know, you guys have two moons. They must be beautiful," Carly said, sitting on the grass and folding her legs toward her chest. "I wish I could've had the chance to see them when I went to Cybertron… but everything was so chaotic that day."

The soft whir of Thundercracker's optical sensors could be heard when he fixated his vision on the female for the first time since the beginning of their conversation.

"Have you been to Cybertron?" he couldn't help but ask.

Carly's face seemed to brighten. "Yes! Some months ago. Spike and I went through the Space Bridge, when all the Transformers started to malfunction due to the lack of some element you guys can only find on your planet."

"Cybertronium?"

"Yeah, that one! We had news that you…. I mean, the Decepticons, had a vast reserve of Cybertronium and we went to get some for the Autobots. The Dinobots helped us, especially Swoop."

Thundercracker knew what she was talking about. He had been offline during that episode, but the notice of two fleshlings tricking Shockwave in his own fortress had spread as fast as light among the Decepticon troops, making the stoic and creepy guardian the target of general mocking for cycles. Of course, nobody dared to laugh at him right to his one-eyed face.

"We were so lucky you weren't assigned to stop us, huh?" Carly said, winking an eye at him.

"Hunting humans has never been among my duties. Besides, I was too busy being deactivated by then."

Carly smiled awkwardly. "Of course, because the lack of Cybertronium… I forgot… how foolish of me."

Thundercracker completely agreed, although he was very surprised to admit he was actually engaging in some easy, senseless talk with that flesh creature. But that wasn't as bad admitting that such a useless conversation was having peaceful effects on his depressive mood.

"I would've thought the Decepticons knew about that little adventure Spike and I had on Cybertron," Carly continued, her voice somewhat disappointed.

"We knew, but I wasn't particularly interested in the infiltrators' identity. Besides, you humans all look very much the same."

Carly seemed surprise. "What? You're kidding me, right?"

"Negative. Your flesh features are very similar and your sizes don't differ much. It's very hard to tell one human from the other."

"Mmh… well, I could say the same about you! If it weren't for your colours, I couldn't tell the difference between you, Starscream and Skywarp."

Now it was Thundercracker's turn to be surprised. "What? Your optics must have a serious failure, human. We are _very _different."

She laughed candidly. "See? It's just a matter of perception. I guess we just need to take a closer look and we'll see the differences. And you know what? I see you and you're so different from the other Decepticons…"

"What do you mean?"

"There is no malice in your eyes, not a single bit."

Thundercracker frowned. He had never considered himself as evil, but he was aware that he was nothing but a monster to foreign optics.

"Even more," Carly continued, "there's courage, honesty… and kindness. Although right now I see more sadness than anything."

He got up so fast that he broke a tree with the harsh movement. "What? Don't talk nonsense, human!"

"I'm sorry, Thundercracker… I didn't mean to offend you. I was just…"

"What are you doing here, anyway? I told you that your Autobot friends are inside, so is your bondmate. It would be wise of you to go. Your presence was not requested."

"It wasn't my intention to impose my company on you, please forgive me if it looked otherwise. I got so hooked on our conversation that I completely forgot the reason why I stopped my car here."

He looked at her with distrust, cursing himself for opening himself so much to that creature.

"And what reason would that be?" he asked roughly.

Carly's smile returned to her face with such easiness. "I was in the city, helping the Protectobots to distribute meals and blankets to homeless people, and First Aid asked me to tell you that the woman that you saved gave birth to her baby last night. They're both healthy."

Thundercracker gaped, unable to say anything. That female fleshling… he hadn't dedicated her not even one single thought after the day he left the Decepticons to request asylum in the Ark.

"First Aid followed that woman's progress since the day he took her to the hospital," Carly continued. "He told me there was a high risk she would lose the baby but in the end the doctors could save him. Her husband died during that Decepticon attack on her town, but she's grateful for what life granted her to keep. But, most of all, she's grateful for you. She asked First Aid your name and she said she will bless it until the day she dies. She calls you an angel."

"Angel?" Thundercracker asked awkwardly.

Carly nodded. "You know what an angel is, don't you? An imaginary winged figure that was supposed to be the messenger of a god, a spiritual being whose appearance was associated with goodness."

Thundercracker hesitated. In which insane Universe could he be associated with a mystical and kind mythological figure? Seekers had always been the elite of the Cybertronian armies. Deadly, elegant, powerful fighters… but _angels?_

Fortunately, circumstances came to his aid and saved him from such an awkward moment, although not in the way he would have wanted.

Alarms coming to life made him turn to the entrance of the Ark, in which half a dozen Autobots were aligning. He headed there, followed closely by Carly.

"Thundercracker!" Ironhide told him. "We really need to adjust your comm link to our frequencies. But now listen: get inside the base and assist Red Alert in whatever he needs."

"Why? What is going on?" Thundercracker asked whilst Smokescreen, Trailbreaker, Hound, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker transformed into their vehicle modes.

"Decepticon attack," Ironhide said curtly. "With Prime, Prowl and Jazz on Cybertron, I have to take care of this."

"What?! Let me help!"

"Not a chance! You know as well as I do that this must be some sort of trick to capture you. Those punk ass Decepticons never make random attacks and you know it better than any of us here. So you stay here, and help Red Alert to defend the base in case this is just a distractive maneuver, which most likely it is."

"But I can be of assistance…"

"No buts! You stay here and that's final. Carly, get inside too. Cliffjumper and Bumblebee will protect you and Spike."

Carly hurried to obey but Thundercracker did it reluctantly. He stood at the entrance of the base, feeling the fuel inside of him boiling. He had never been a violent mech, but in that moment taking part in that battle had became an urgency.

_To be continued._

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_As you noticed, I made a little reference to the G1 episode 'Atlantis, arise!', as well as to the prequel of this story, 'Purple rain'. _

_Anyway, it was a little bit of calm before the storm… next chapter will be intense! Thanks for all your feedback :o)_


	25. Fire in the soul

_As promised, fast update. Thanks a lot for your support and please get ready for some action!_

_Thanks to my dear sis iratepirate for beta reading._

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**Chapter 25**

**Fire in the soul**

If Thundercracker had been counting, he would have been amazed by the number of times he had walked the same short distance between Red Alert's seat and the entrance of the Ark's Command Centre.

But, of course, he didn't notice, busy as he was trying to control his increasing desperation.

"Can you please stop that, Thundercracker?" Cliffjumper said, standing before the main console of Teletraan I. "You really don't want to make Red here more nervous than he is."

Thundercracker grimaced but stopped his pacing, standing right behind the Autobot Security Chief's chair.

"Any changes? What's the situation?" the Seeker asked, unable to hide his anxiety.

"Practically the same I told you ten astro seconds ago," Red Alert said with a very unfriendly voice. "Ironhide and the others are still fighting the Combaticons, although it's too early to say who has the upper hand."

"I'd say that will change once the Protectobots arrive," Bumblebee said.

Red Alert shook his head. "I'm hoping Ironhide will be able to defeat those junk piles before that. True, the Protectobots would be of great assistance, but the last thing we want is Bruticus and Defensor fighting to the death in the middle of an urban area."

"Another reason why you should send the Aerialbots," Thundercracker said with very little patience. "Onslaught's forte is ground combat. All you have to do is engage his team from the sky to neutralize Vortex and Blast Off; the rest can be handled by your ground troops."

"Negative. I need the Aerialbots here, besides their team is incomplete thanks to your own doing, Thundercracker. Their performance wouldn't be optimal."

"Mmmph… then send me! I have unfinished quarrels with those Combaticons and this is the moment to settle them."

Red Alert's glance momentarily abandoned the screen to turn to the anxious Seeker. "You really have problems with negatives, don't you? I don't give a slag about whatever personal vendettas you have against your former allies, but understand that it's your head that they want. Indeed, the Combaticons are not fighting the way they usually do, not to mention they don't have a clear objective, but…"

"That's because this insane assault has Starscream's signature all over it!"

"Whoever is behind it doesn't matter! We are to stop the Combaticons and protect the humans, and we can ask the questions later. In Optimus Prime's absence we can't afford to make mistakes, even less not be cautious!"

"Huh…" Bumblebee said. "I really don't want to aid your neural sensors in overheating, Red, but you should take a look at that."

Red Alert cursed in Cybertronian when three flying energy signatures en route to the Ark appeared on the radar.

"Seekers… just what we needed," Cliffjumper said, subspacing his gun.

"You stay where you are, Cliffjumper," Red Alert said, punching a button and typing a code. "The Aerialbots are departing right now to intercept the invaders."

"At least let me join them!" Thundercracker said. "You said yourself that the Aerialbots are incomplete and their performance would be affected."

"Still, they are three against four… the odds are in our favour."

"Not if Starscream is leading the Decepticons, and he certainly is! Let me join the Aerialbots squad! I can cover Skydive's absence."

"Ironhide specifically ordered that you were not to engage in combat with your former allies, so stop pushing this, Thundercracker! You stay here with us. We are the last line of defense for the Ark and we need to stick together. As the Security Chief of this base, I'm in charge and I recommend you not to disobey me!"

Thundercracker repressed the curse that was dying to come out through his vocalizer, but he was unable to stop his fist crashing against the wall, denting it.

"If you're finished with your useless bravado, come and take a look at this," Red Alert said, pointing toward the screen. "The Aerialbots are already arriving at the intercepting point and are about to engage the Seekers in combat."

"Is there a chance they can form Superion?" Bumblebee asked. "They could beat the Seekers easily that way."

"Nope," Cliffjumper replied. "Without Skydive, it's not recommendable. It could turn into a mess and they would provide a big, easy target for the 'Cons."

"An easier target than that?" Thundercracker said, pointing toward the screen, on which one of the red energy signatures was unmistakably heading downwards.

"Slag!" Red Alert cried. "Silverbolt is down…"

"Not for long. Bumblebee, come with me! We'll help them, they are just a couple of mechano miles away from here," Cliffjumper said, making his way to the door.

"You won't make it on time. I'll go!" Thundercracker said.

"Look, Thundercracker, I already told you…"

"This Decepticon offensive is my fault, so is the Aerialbots' deficient performance! I don't care what you say, Red Alert, but this is all my responsibility! I'm a warrior, you can't just ask me to stay with my arms crossed when the battlefield demands me!"

The Autobot Security Chief hesitated but finally his overheated head nodded. "Okay, okay… just open your comm link. I'll transmit you the Aerialbots' private frequency so you can radio them. Now go… GO!"

Thundercracker was already out of sight when Red Alert finished speaking.

……..

Fireflight was having problems in his flight pattern. But, then again, that was no novelty, having a killer Decepticon on his tail making no difference. The curious part was that it was precisely his erratic flight that was keeping him in the air. Dirge was an outstanding flier, but he seemed to have problems with abrupt twists and variations of speed. It was such an irony, but Fireflight's highest chance of victory depended precisely on his own biggest flaw.

Unfortunately, his enemy seemed to agree with him, as the sight of Dirge switching targets with Thrust confirmed. Fireflight cursed. Having to fight the Decepticons' aerobatics expert was an entirely different matter.

His comm link cracked to life and Slingshot's voice could be heard. _"How are you doing, 'Flight? Need some help with that Thrust fragger? I was about to take him down when he went after you."_

"_Nah, I can handle him myself. How's Silverbolt?" _

"_Out of commission, but he should be fine if we keep these Decepticreeps away from the hillside where he crashed. The glitches can move fast…. Yeeehaaaaa!"_

"_Watch out, Slingshot!"_

"_Spare me the motherly chit chat! I'm going to show this Decepticon scum he's not the only one who can crash enemies at Mach 3!"_

"_Yeah okay, just remember that Ramjet's alloy is stronger than yours… Oh Primus I'm going to craaaaaash!"_

The big boulder at the top of the mountain exploded in small pieces astro seconds before Fireflight trespassed the now empty space.

"_Careful, 'Flight", _Slingshot said through the comm link. _"Fortunately for you, Dirge is such a lousy flier and I had plenty of time to blow that side of the mountain from my location, otherwise you would be an ugly pile of junk right now."_

"_Thanks, Slingshot… I owe you one…"_

"_Add it to the other fifty four times I've saved your carcass. All right guys, I predict I'll have Dirge buried in the ground in less than thirty astro seconds. Just hold on a little more and I'll come and help you."_

"_I don't need your help!" _Air Raid claimed through the comm link. _"How much do you wanna bet that Ramjet goes down first?"_

Fireflight recklessly avoided a rain of laser fire as he noticed that Air Raid and Ramjet were heading nosecone to nosecone a couple of mechano miles away from him. The maneuver reminded him of the reason behind Skydive's absence. He had never thought the team could be so dysfunctional without one member…

"_Yessss, that was for Silverbolt, you slag sucker!! What did I tell you guys? Dirge is down! Now, who's next?"_

"_Assist Air Raid, he's about to…"_

A loud noise followed by static interrupted Fireflight's words. It had happened, the brutal encounter between Ramjet and Air Raid, the second one taking the worst of the impact due to his lighter fuselage. Ramjet, on the other hand, remained in the air, his stability not considerably altered.

"_Damn it, Air Raid is going down…"_

"_And you're next if you keep flying like that, Fireflight!" _Slingshot said. _"You're so lucky that Decepticon junk is as insane a flier as you. Hold on there, I'm on my way!"_

Fireflight had always believed that luck was on his side, but that day was destined to become the utter confirmation of such belief when, violently twisting in an attempt to keep Thrust away from him, he managed to dodge two missiles that he never saw coming in his direction.

"_Ooooh slaaag! It's Starscream!" _he heard Slinsghot cry through the comm link.

Just the name Fireflight wasn't looking forward to hearing… The one name his teammates and he had learned to fear since the first day they faced him. A loud-mouthed arrogant jerk on the ground, but a messenger of death in the air.

Fireflight headed as fast as he could toward Slingshot's location, knowing well that, without assistance, there was no way he could take out the Decepticon Air Commander by himself, just as he knew he was no match against Starscream's speed…

He was doomed, and this time not by his careless flight patterns.

A burning pain in the upper part of his fuselage confirmed his fears. Starscream had closed the distance and had released half a dozen cluster bombs against his prey. Due to his proximity, it would have been easier to take down the enemy with laser fire, but the Decepticon had chosen his mildest weapon, if such thing existed. Starscream was not aiming for the kill, at least not yet. He was toying with his victim.

But just when Firelight was preparing to dodge a second round of cluster bombs, Starscream deviated his course abruptly and disappeared from the Aerialbot's radar. But Fireflight didn't have time to wonder about the Air Commander's trajectory as he started to exchange fire with Thrust, his chances of victory very limited due to the damage received.

It was then when it happened, the azure lightning bolt that severed the death line that was about to reach him. Taken by surprise, Thrust twisted drastically in mid air, a movement too brusque even for his aerobatics expertise.

Not allowing time for Fireflight to process his surprise, the green light of his comm link shone again and the unexpected voice of Thundercracker could be heard.

"_What's your status, Fireflight? Can you keep flying?"_

"_Er… yeah… I'm just a little shattered, that's all."_

"_Excellent. Maintain your current course whilst I assist Slingshot. Target Thrust's lateral fuel line. His plating is weakest there."_

"_Great piece of information, thanks Thun…"_

"_What the heck are you doing here, Thundercracker?" _Slingshot interrupted through the comm link. _"You come to help your Deceptiscum buddies?"_

Thundercracker accelerated toward Slingshot's location, leaving Fireflight behind but keeping him in radio contact._"Now is not the time for this kind of idiotic talk! Ramjet is closing in on you and Starscream will return at any moment."_

"_Well, your interference was not requested. Go and hide under a rock or something while we handle this."_

"_You are outnumbered now. Your only chance of survival is doing what I say."_

"_Screw you! I'm not going to obey some maniacal Decepticon. After all, this is all your fault, not to mention it was you who put Skydive in the Cryogenic Regeneration Chamber!"_

"_He put himself there! And I already said this is not the time to talk nonsense. Now listen, are you two familiar with basic formations, such as the defensive beta-zero-three?"_

"_Excuuuuse us, Mr. High Ranked Officer, but we didn't attend some academy for mercenaries like your royal highness."_

"_Yaaaaay!" _Fireflight yelled. _"You were right, Thundercracker! I shot Thrust right on the lateral fuel line and he's eating dust right now! I'm with you! Just tell me what to do."_

"_Head to my location and align beside me. Starscream is returning and we won't be able to battle him and Ramjet without a proper defensive strategy."_

"_Your processor is more screwed than I thought if you think I'm going to follow anything you say-"_

"_For Cybertron, would you please stop it, Slingshot?! Thundercracker is right. We took down Dirge and Thrust but Starscream is more dangerous than the three Coneheads together. Just do what he says and you can bicker all you want later. Silverbolt and Air Raid need medical assistance at once, and we can't help them unless we put an end to this combat now!"_

Static was Slingshot's only reply, but soon he was heading into the virtual triangle Thundercracker and Fireflight were already forming.

………

The Aerialbots were not expert fliers yet, but their potential was unmistakable. Thundercracker had realized that since the first day he fought them, the same day he started to respect them.

"_Expect Ramjet to go for the collision. Fireflight, you will act as bait. Wait for an estimated time of impact of 2.3 astro seconds and deviate at least thirty degrees to your left. Ramjet has always had problems with his left side and won't be able to follow. Make good use of his distraction and double team him. You should have no problems bringing him down."_

"_What about you, Thundercracker?" _Fireflight said.

"_I'll take care of Starscream."_

"_Yeah right, let us handle the dolt one while you keep all the glory. Nice."_

"_I seriously doubt I can take Starscream down by myself, Slingshot, but this is our best chance."_

"_What about the other Seeker, Skywarp?" _Fireflight asked. _"I was expecting he would appear out of nowhere at any moment but there's no sign of him."_

Thundercracker didn't reply immediately. _"His whereabouts are not our main concern. Prepare to break the triangle formation at my command, the Decepticons are in shooting range. Now!!"_

The formation created by the two Aerialbots and the Seeker suddenly dissolved. As simple as it was, Thundercracker had faith in their probabilities of success.

He noticed with satisfaction that his Autobot allies were not having problems in engaging Ramjet, so he focused his efforts on his own enemy.

Thundercracker had fought Starscream many times during practices, the location and the Air Commander's speed always making the difference. But Thundercracker knew this time it was different.

He easily avoided Starscream's first attack, a rain of laser fire that wasn't even close to grazing his fuselage.

_Not bad, Screamer… but you couldn't have been more predictable._

He responded the same way, just to follow the habit. As expected, Starscream avoided the deadly beams as if they didn't exist; he was a flier as graceful as he was deadly.

The result of the next series of attacks was practically identical. It was obvious to Thundercracker that Starscream was only testing him, no attempts at real combat yet.

_What are you up to, Starscream? Slag you… _

Breaking the vicious circle was tempting, but also dangerous. Thundercracker knew that as soon as he gave Starscream an advantage, he would take it and make it decisive. Starscream seemed to have a similar mindset; he stayed in his current flight pattern and limited his offensive to erratic discharges of laser fire.

Finally, Starscream showed his next move. He transformed into his bipedal form and remained floating in mid air, glancing at Thundercracker with a mischievous smirk. Thundercracker also changed his shape.

"Greetings, Thundercracker. You look fine… for a traitor," Starscream spoke casually.

Thundercracker shot his former trine leader a murderous glance.

"What's the purpose of _this?_" he asked, waving with his hand toward the improvised battlefield on which Silverbolt, Air Raid, Dirge and Thrust already lay on the ground. "Another one of your pathetic stages? What do you expect to obtain?"

"Excuse my forgetfulness in neglecting to notify you about my immediate course of action… _again. _It's hard to remember you're a Seeker, especially considering your current loyalties, don't you agree?_"_

Thundercracker clenched his fists, anxious to dent tricolored metal. His arm mounted cannons started to hum, announcing his aggressive purposes.

Starscream increased his smirk, if that was possible. "Aren't you wondering where Skywarp is, Thundercracker? It's such a coincidence he wasn't included in this… routine practice, don't you think? Or maybe he couldn't make it. Perhaps he – or better said, what's left of him – lies at the bottom of a melting pit right now because of you."

Thundercracker postponed his attack. "Whatever you say is as good as lie to me. You disappoint me, Starscream, if you believed I would fall so easily for your game."

Starscream laughed. "True, true… I have to admit you are not as dimwitted as the rest of my dear wingmates, but you know me as well, and you should know that all I'm doing is having some harmless entertainment. Boredom is the ultimate crime, and I have never been among the kind that falls easily into such atrocity."

Thundercracker's optics became a thin line of fire. Threatening others was not a regular habit of his, but pointing an accusing finger at Starscream came so natural. "You keep Skywarp away from all this, did you hear me Starscream? Or so help me I'll-"

"What? _What, traitor? _Are you going to kill me? Are you going to behave like a real Decepticon for once? I think I told you it was too late for that, you treacherous scum!" Starscream said, lifting his arms and allowing the sun to shine on his null-ray cannons.

A laser beam interrupted Starscream imminent attack, forcing him to back down with a potent discharge from his feet thrusters. "Party breakers…" he said, looking down at the squad of Autobots that advanced along the dusty road. "Don't you just hate them? Oh, how touching, they came to help you… What a nice loving family you have now! Hopefully you won't doom it as you did with your previous one. I guess your puny creator didn't think he was sparking his own assassin when he took you to Vector Sigma to grant you life, mmh?"

Without waiting for an answer, Starscream transformed and started his retreat, followed by new laser beams coming from the ground that were searching to perforate his lustrous fuselage.

"_So long, traitor! Next time I see you, you'll be nothing more than spare parts. Hear my words. Spare parts!"_

But Thundercracker didn't hear him anymore. He was furious, every one of his circuits tingling with rage. He felt his body heavier than ever when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"_Take this, you human lover!" _

Thundercracker avoided Ramjet's onslaught and managed to impact his fist against his enemy's cockpit before the Conehead had the chance to follow his retiring commander. Thundercracker's attack could have ended there, he could have allowed Ramjet to leave now that Starscream was gone, but his anger couldn't remain contained inside his frame. Not this time.

Ramjet cried in pain and started to fall as Thundercracker shot a laser beam inside his cockpit. The impact against the ground was brutal, but not to Ramjet, who was used to even stronger collisions. The Conehead transformed into his bipedal mode, struggling to remain on one knee as black smoke came from his shattered cockpit.

But hell came from the sky. Ramjet's face painfully returned to the dust beneath when Thundercracker's foot landed on his head without any remorse.

"Get up, you slaggin' filth!" Thundercracker cried as he kicked Ramjet in the side. "Didn't you want me dead?! Well, here I am! Just you and me, come on! Fight me!"

It was obvious Ramjet was not only in no condition to fight, but close to entering stasis lock. But Thundercracker continued punishing him, shooting a vicious discharge of laser fire into the Conehead's back.

"Fight, you dirty scum, fight!!"

His fists impacted Ramjet again and again, damaging himself in the process. But Thundercracker didn't mind, couldn't recognize that pain as his own. It was Ramjet's… it was his suffering… and Thundercracker liked it.

He grasped the almost offlined form of the Conehead and lifted him above his head, throwing him brutally against a big boulder that exploded into pieces with the collision.

Raising his arms was an automatic movement, the aim of his arm-mounted cannons fixated on Ramjet's head.

His Decepticon programming activated, his objective one single directive: go for the kill.

He fired.

Dazzled beams of death erupted toward the sky as his arms were brusquely grabbed and deviated upwards.

"It's enough, Thundercracker! Stop it!" Ironhide said, doing his best to control the irate Seeker.

"Let go of me!! I have to terminate him now! There won't be another opportunity!"

"This is not the way, ya hear me? Stop! Slag it, this… this is not you!"

Thundercracker shook violently, trying to free himself of the Autobot's grip, but Ironhide didn't release him.

"This is not the way!" Ironhide continued his mantra. "You're different now, remember? You can't allow yourself to return to your old self, not after all you have gone through. You are better than your programming, Thundercracker."

Thundercracker stopped struggling, his arms slumping flaccid at his sides.

Ironhide released him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not a Decepticon anymore."

Thundercracker's gaze was lost, optic sensors looking ahead of him but seeing nothing. He didn't even notice when Dirge and Thrust managed to retrieve their mangled comrade and escaped as fast as his damaged structure allowed them to.

_To be continued._

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_Sorry if I disappointed those of you who were expecting Skywarp. His absence was, indeed, Starscream's doing. But don't worry – or better do… - Skywarp and TC will meet soon, but I have a very special scenario prepared for that encounter. _

_Thanks for reading. Next chapter is already in progress. Please let me know your opinions._


	26. Goodbye innocence

_This chapter begins with a flashback. I have never been a loyal follower of that resource, but in this story in particular, flashbacks have been very useful to remark some parts of Thundercracker's complex personality. The canon ignored the value of his character for years, but fortunately it seems such mistake is being corrected, as we could see in the Transformers ongoing comic series. _

_Fanfiction is another rich source to give marvelous – and often underestimated – characters the place they deserve. If you haven't checked her work yet, I highly recommend Fire Redhead's fics, who also embraced the cause of giving TC the relevance he should have had since the Transformers conquered our hearts so many years ago._

_Thank you so much for all the support and comments received for this story. I highly appreciate them :o)_

_Chapter beta read by my dear sis iratepirate, dream catcher and typos bounty hunter._

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**Chapter 26**

**Goodbye innocence**

_Cybertron, city-state of Polyhex, forty__ eight thousand vorns ago._

Thundercracker grimaced slightly at the energon cube in front of his face before rejecting it with his hand.

"What? No good stuff again?" Skywarp said, shaking the two cubes he was carrying and sitting beside his wingmate at the top of the former Autobot Council headquarters. "You're not gonna tell me that slag tale about us being in service, are you TC?"

"My circuits have never been very tolerant of high grade. You already know that."

"Mmh yes… I must have forgotten it," the black Seeker said before taking a deep sip of the purplish vital fuel. "Well, better for me. I'll drink your ration then… although the days of sneaking out of the Academy to get some high grade and to get laid are over. From now on, we can have everything we want; energon, femmes, weapons… you name it."

Thundercracker didn't reply. His glance was lost somewhere in the vast view before him. Polyhex was a beautiful city-state, there was no mistake about that, but the clouds of smoke and fire coming from countless shattered constructions turned it into a totally different place. Many of the most famous buildings of Polyhex had already been turned into war stations. Thundercracker shivered when he realized that soon all the planet would look that way, its beauty devastated, transformed into a perfect machine of warfare… He hoped the Autobots would surrender soon.

As if he was reading his mind, Skywarp also stared at the metallic buildings. "Amazing, isn't it? Just some cycles ago we were dreaming of all this… And now it's ours. An entire city of our own. And soon the rest of Cybertron will follow. Don't repeat this to anyone, but I heard from a very good source that Megatron is planning to give us, the Seekers, total control of Vos once it falls… Can you imagine it?"

"You mean he will give Starscream total control of Vos."

Skywarp smirked and shook his head. "Naah… Keep this between us too, but I also heard that Megatron isn't happy with Starscream's performance."

"Why? Did he get tired of Screamer kissing his aft the entire cycle?"

"Actually, yes. I heard him talking with Soundwave, you know, one of those times when I teleported to the wrong place… Well, basically Megatron was saying that he doesn't trust in Screamer's servileness."

"Starscream is pathetic. What did you expect from a mech who kneeled and couldn't put two words together when he was in presence of Megatron for the first time? Lame, utterly lame."

"Well, you know Screamer. Once he gets obsessed with something there's no way to keep him away from it… And now he's found himself a hero."

"Good for him."

"You just wait and see, TC. Screamer is only a temporary nuisance. Once we blot out the Autobots from the face of Cybertron, you and I will be warlords, and I mean real warlords, with immense power, armies and femmes willing to satiate even the slightest of our desires... The Universe is the limit, brother!"

Thundercracker stared at his wingmate. "_Blot out?_ The purpose of this revolution is to eradicate a tyrannical regime, not the complete annihilation of more than the half of the population of Cybertron."

"Yeah, yeah, in theory… but Megatron said that we wouldn't achieve our goals by repeating the Autobots' mistakes. What's the benefit of locking hordes of Autobots in prisons, like if they were beasts? Think about the waste of fuel and other resources just to keep them functioning… Megatron's solution is much better. We wipe them out and start from zero. Make a utopia of Cybertron, without any link to the past."

Thundercracker frowned. It made sense, of course it made sense. Besides, what Skywarp was saying was no novelty to him; he had heard those same words with increasing frequency since he had joined the Decepticons. He just couldn't understand why he was feeling so dirty.

Or maybe he understood it, he understood it perfectly, but he had been denying the thought since he and his trine had came back from Iacon two cycles ago. He had learnt very quickly how to block his feelings, especially remorse and shame. That's what a soldier had to do, and he was a soldier. He had wanted to be one all his life, so now that he was at the beginning of a real war, there was no place for second thoughts.

"So what's wrong with you?"

Thundercracker blinked his optics in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Skywarp seized the second cube of high grade, but didn't drink it. "I asked you what's wrong. And don't tell me nothing's bothering you, because I know you perfectly, TC."

Thundercracker gave up. He had met Skywarp not so long before, but the immature and impulsive Seeker, so different from himself, had soon gained Thundercracker's trust, or at least the next best thing. But even so, he had to be careful in the selection of his words.

"That medical facility… the one we attacked two cycles ago… Were you aware our targets weren't military, Warp?"

"Mmh, not really, now that you mention it… But what about it? We exceeded the expectations, Megatron himself said it. He was so proud of us! We showed that Autobot Council we are serious, a real army and not some group of mercenaries they can laugh at…"

"The facility was supposed to be isolated."

"It was, we found just about a dozen workers there, no big deal."

"They were thirty seven."

"So? Come on, TC… you're not gonna tell me you're feeling sorry for them, are you?"

Thundercracker stood up, his optics not leaving Polyhex, which was transforming by the minute into a military stronghold.

"Had you ever killed before, Warp?"

Skywarp didn't reply immediately. He emptied the energon cube in his hand before standing up beside his wingmate.

"No, this was my first time. But we are soldiers, TC. We have been prepared for this, trained… This is a war we are battling, not a simulation. We gotta do what we gotta do."

"Just that simple, huh?"

"Yep. There's no need to complicate things."

Thundercracker grimaced with contempt. "So you had no problems when you shot your first victim? Did you notice there were femmes inside that facility, sparklings perhaps?"

"I didn't shoot victims, I shot enemies. Besides, it was our first mission! A lot depended on our success… and don't tell me all that excitement when were breaking through the building and finally using our weaponry to serve a real cause didn't make your fuel boil… The laser fire, the thrill, the knowledge that you were doing something for the sake of your kind… oh my… it made me feel so alive, TC, so alive…"

"Alive? I must be dysfunctional because I computed the exact opposite feelings. It's like… it's like something inside of me died."

"Yeah, your former life, so bury it very deep and never look back. We are Decepticons now, elite Cybertronians. Our enemies want us destroyed, so we must destroy them first. It's not a clean job, but we have to do it. Eventually you will get used to it, even like it. Remember that even Megatron hesitated before killing an opponent in his first gladiatorial match."

_Till all are one…_ the common cry in the arena resounded inside Thundercracker's audios with the devastating force of an eternal memory. Even though he hadn't been present at Megatron's legendary first fight, the tidal wave of that battle cry had reached him, had made him believe there was something other than an ordinary life.

But he sheltered himself in silence once again. There were so many things he wanted to say, so many nightmares haunting him, but he knew Skywarp wasn't the mech to talk to. The only one who could have heard him wouldn't do it, not after the ultimate betrayal he had inflicted on him. He was dead to him… to his own creator.

"What's with all this nonsense, anyway?" Skywarp asked. "You don't happen to have some relationship with any Autobot scum, do you?"

"Of course not…"

"That's what I thought. We Seekers have nothing to do with those ground lovers, anyway…"

"Yes, absolutely nothing to do with them…"

"Then stop worrying. Now come, we have a formatting session with Hook in less than a breem. I tell you brother, that guy gives me the creeps."

"Oh, right… I had forgotten about that formatting session. I think I'll skip it. I don't see any need to replace my optics."

"Are you sure? All Decepticons are doing it, and you don't want to look different or be treated like some weirdo, do you? We have the badges now, but to have red optics is a way to show Megatron how committed we are to him. That's one of Screamer's suggestions that actually works for me."

Blending in… Thundercracker had been against being another gear for all his young life, and now he was doing exactly that, willingly accepting his place in the machinery.

Skywarp put an arm over his friend's shoulder and affectionately slapped it. "Hey, besides, those blue optics of yours won't help you score with the ladies. They _so_ love a mech with red shining optics, you know? They arouse them almost as much as our insignias… You wouldn't believe how many beauties opened their spark chambers for me when we took over Polyhex, just like that… Come on TC, change that face. From now on, only glory awaits us."

Yes, glory… As he followed Skywarp, Thundercracker apologized in silence to his creator. It was be the first of many apologies that would never be told in the millenniums to come.

……...

_Earth, The Ark, present time._

Thundercracker blinked his optics at the small cylindrical container in front of his face. It was amazing how life insisted on providing those ironic moments of déjà vu.

"Don't worry, it's just an energy drink," Ironhide told him. "It doesn't take a genius to realize that you and high grade are a bad combination."

"My circuits have never been tolerant of… Ah, never mind," Thundercracker said, accepting the can and refusing the memory.

The snap of Ironhide's container being opened resounded in the dark cavern at the bottom of the mountain in which Thundercracker had tried to find some peace and solitude. The first had been impossible to achieve; the second had just ended with the arrival of the Autobot.

"Mind if I join you?" Ironhide asked.

Thundercracker shrugged his shoulders. "It's your base."

Ironhide leaned on the rocky wall, close to Thundercracker but not enough as to invade his personal space.

"I never knew who came up with the idea of immortalizing this glitch in a commercial drink," Ironhide growled, looking at the black can in his hand, which portrayed on its label a picture of Kremzeek, the little creature made of pure energy that the Decepticons had used against the Autobots a couple of terrestrial years ago. "I still remember how bad this little fragger damaged me and my friends… How did you Decepticreeps manage to control it, anyway?"

"Megatron created it, so I guess the creature felt some sort of natural loyalty toward him."

"Megatron has some charisma, I give him that… Is that the reason why you joined the Decepticons in the first place?"

Thundercraker raised a suspicious brow plate at Ironhide. So much for subtlety… Of course, he hadn't expected that the Autobots would leave the incident of earlier that day in oblivion, but he was used to silence concerning uncomfortable issues. But silence, it seemed, was another unwelcomed guest within the Autobot ranks.

"Hey, don't get me wrong, kid," Ironhide continued. "I also witnessed some of those underground gladiatorial matches in Kaon… I also heard Megatron talking, and as much as I hate to admit it, I also fell for his spell for a while. Crowds worshipped him in a way they never worshipped Primus himself. It was insane."

Thundercracker knew that silence would not take him anywhere. At least Ironhide was the eldest Autobot in there and could provide some maturity to the battlefield his spark was.

"I guess I was very confused back then, very angry…" he finally spoke. "Megatron just came in the right moment. It was easy to follow him."

"Angry?" Ironhide asked, intrigued.

"Yes, angry… I was nonconformist, not to mention I always had problems with following routines… Long story."

"I see. It was curious that you ended up following another routine… and worse."

Thundercracker didn't reply. He had no need to be reminded of things he already knew.

"Was that what happened today?" Ironhide asked. "Were you… angry?"

Once again, no answer came from the Seeker's vocalizer, but Ironhide didn't pressure him. Thundercracker was very far away from there, his glance fixated on one portion of the Ark that could be seen, half embedded in that cave of the volcano that sheltered it.

"Do you see that aileron?" he finally said, his finger reflecting on the partially melted yellow metal of the giant space cruiser.

"Yeah, what about it? It was probably damaged during the crash four million years ago."

Thundercracker shook his head. "No. I did that. I shot this aileron when Megatron gave the order to invade the Ark right before we crashed into this planet. I remember it as clear as if it had happened yesterday. I was angry back then, too… And the curious thing is that if you ask me why, I wouldn't have an answer. Saying that I was just following orders wouldn't be precise."

"Anger… Is that why you wanted to kill that Decepticon creep today?"

"I wanted revenge, that's what I wanted… I have fought Ramjet many times before, during practice sessions and casual skirmishes, but never before have I had the real urge to hurt him, to completely deactivate him… As humans say, I guess I'm more fucked up than I thought I was."

"Mmmh, what I think is that you have been watching too much human television… But local expressions aside, I don't think you should take what happened today so seriously. You lost control for a moment, yes, but you also showed leadership and prudence. The Aerialbots wouldn't have survived that battle without your assistance."

_"Logic dictated that you were the one to be designated as Aerospace Commander of the Decepticon Empire, but your lack of conviction defeated logic. Starscream is not Air Commander because of his virtues but because of your mistakes."_

The words Megatron had told him the day he left the Decepticons emerged as clear as they had been when his former leader had spoken them. It still gave him shivers to realize how different things would have been if he had known that before. Perhaps he would have totally surrendered to his inner monster a long time ago. Perhaps he would be worse than Starscream, corrupted by a power he had never ambitioned in the first place… Sometimes he felt he didn't know himself at all.

"I knew your creator," Ironhide said suddenly.

A punch, a shot… not even a missile could have hit Thundercracker as hard as those four words.

"W… what? How?" he managed to ask.

"We worked in the same sector in a fuel refinery one hundred fifty thousand vorns ago, in Iacon… Good mech, peaceful and generous, always ready to give a helping hand. He was a good friend."

Thundercracker was unable to speak. He looked at Ironhide with confusion reflected on his features. He didn't realize when his hands started to shake.

"I lost track of him when I was named Security Chief of another factory in Altihex, but I found him again some vorns after the war started."

Thundercracker bowed his head. His optics dimmed to a light crimson tone.

"Did he… did he ever mention me?"

"He said his son was murdered by a Decepticon right at the beginning of the war. He never gave details and I never asked him."

A grimace of contempt appeared on Thundercracker's features, contempt against himself. "He didn't lie… A Decepticon murdered his son indeed, and would come back to murder him as well."

"You're too harsh on yourself… To tell you the truth, I didn't realize who you really were until Cranker's death, some deca-cycles ago on Cybertron…"

"Is that why you are trying to help me?"

"In a way, yes, although I admit I was among the ones who were the most opposed when Prime told us he would allow you to stay in the Ark. It's hard to separate the mech from the Decepticon, if you know what I mean."

"I understand, I've had that trouble since the beginning of the war."

"I detest Deceptiscums, it's as simple as that. And I'll be straight with you, it's hard not to blow you apart when I see those slaggin' insignias on your wings… But I'll tell you something, kid. Your spark is in the right place. You're one good mech, just as your father was."

His father… Cranker's last words to him resounded inside his head like if he were hearing them for the first time. Proud… his creator had said he was proud of him. But what was there to be proud of? Thundercracker wondered if Cranker would still say the same, if perhaps his voice had been guided by the ultimate knowledge of his imminent termination, instead of sincere love for a selfish son that had betrayed him every time he broke the honour code his father followed all his life, the prodigal son who had caused not only the end of their little family unit, but the end of Cranker's life itself.

It was then when it happened, the disturbance of his current turmoil, the resurrection of a forgotten frequency coming back to life, the sound of a very familiar voice…

"_TC?"_

Thundercracker literally froze. That was a voice he didn't expect to hear… He hadn't realized it, but by synchronizing his comm link to the Aerialbot's private frequency, he had also left it vulnerable to intrusions.

"_Don't say anything, I'm guessing you can't talk right now… Meet me at the last place we had a practice session tomorrow at 2300 terrestrial hours."_

That was all Skywarp said before ending the communication. Vorns of friendship defeated the static; Thundercracker had immediately detected his former wingmate's rancor. Skywarp's voice had been neutral, but there was definitely pain there, and disappointment… and there was also the other thing, that small trace of hope.

A rough but friendly punch to his shoulder returned him to reality.

"Hey, don't let yourself get down, kid. You're on the right path now, that's for sure. Come on now, night shift is about to start and I don't wanna be late for my surveillance patrol. You should have some recharge, even a blind mech could see you need it."

"Yes… I think I'll follow your advice," Thundercracker replied, grateful that Ironhide was too rash to perceive the subtle but meaningful forces operating inside of him.

_To be continued._

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_As you probably noticed, I made a couple of references to the Transformers comics – Starscream kneeling before Megatron in 'Megatron origin' and the Kremzeek energy drink that appeared in 'The reign of Starscream' and one of the Dream__wave comics. It doesn't matter if you haven't read them, they were just small mentions that added some colour to the scenes. I also mentioned the gladiatorial match in 'Megatron origin' in which Megatron hesitated to kill a rival. Yep, he wasn't always a cold blooded murderer._

_Thanks for reading. Next chapter already in progress and, as predicted, it will be intense! Please let me know your opinions._


	27. Goodbye my friend

**Chapter 27**

**Goodbye my friend**

The terrestrial moon gently bathed the two bipedal silhouettes that were floating in mid air, so close to each other and yet an infinite abyss existed between them.

"Are you here to kill me?"

Skywarp didn't answer what certainly had been the most direct question Thundercracker had ever asked him. He glanced nonchalantly toward a distant flock of birds that sliced with their caws the thick aura that existed between both Seekers.

"Can you believe these creatures?" Skywarp said, completely ignoring his former wingmate's words. Even more, he sounded like he was talking to himself. "There was this footage of some of them on the TV… They jump from their nest when they are sparklings. Many of them die, they break their puny little bodies but they keep jumping, no matter if their first flight turns out to be the last, they must have it in their programming…"

Always keeping his optics deviated from the form of his former wingmate, Skywarp continued. "Is that the reason, TC? Is betrayal part of _your _programming?"

Thundercracker's shoulders slumped slightly. If Skywarp had been looking at him, he would have noticed the sadness and disappointment trapped in that single gesture.

"So… you are here to kill me," Thundercracker answered his own question.

But perhaps Skywarp had noticed, perhaps he didn't need the aid of his optics to read all those signals coming from the only one he had ever called brother.

"Is that why you became a Seeker, TC…? You know, because you wanted to fly, no matter if you crashed trying?"

Thundercracker fidgeted uneasily in mid air. Why was he there? To meet certain death? If there was to be a combat that night, the result would be unimportant. He would lose no matter who continued functioning.

"Warp…"

"I'm tired of flying… As insane as it sounds, it's true… Let's descend."

Without waiting for an answer, Skywarp decreased the power of his feet thrusters, heading toward the same clearing in the woods in which he and Thundercracker had been just some solar cycles ago. Time could be more devastating than any war.

Thundercracker followed almost immediately, landing right beside the lake, but this time the tranquility of its water brought him the same feeling of peace that the sound of a cannon humming would do.

He kept his distance from Skywarp, noticing that the black Seeker still refused to look directly at him. Thundercracker couldn't blame him, and thus he had to respect whatever peace lay before the storm.

But more than the storm, the wait would be excruciating. Astro seconds turned into terrestrial minutes so easily, but silence prevailed. Thundercracker wished he could find the right words, but such thing didn't exist.

"Tell me you didn't do it."

Skywarp's voice startled Thundercracker. At some point, he had begun to believe he was alone.

"Tell me you didn't do it," Skywarp repeated. "And I'll believe you."

Thundercracker walked toward the edge of the lake and sat, resting his arms on his folded legs. His back was left carelessly exposed. Skywarp would have a clear and killer shot if he decided to go for it.

"This is not a conversation we should be having right now, Warp…"

"This conversation should have never existed, because you should have never deserted in the first place. What the slag were you thinking?!"

Thundercracker's battle computer woke up immediately, recognizing the signals of danger in Skywarp's sudden outburst. Sudden, but not unexpected.

"I wish I could explain to you…"

"Spare me the mushy slag! Is that why you came here? To give excuses?"

Thundercracker got up slowly, being very careful to keep his movements on the peaceful side, if such thing was possible. "I came here because I owed it to you."

Skywarp's anger seemed to ease, but Thundercracker knew that he hadn't seen the last of his friend's disappointment.

"Warp…"

"It's not too late, you know?" Skywarp said, once again refusing to look at his former wingmate. "You were upset, did a couple of crazy things… It was kind of logical. I mean, the others beat you pretty badly, almost offlined you… You had all the right to escape for a while. But you can come back, especially now that you've washed your honour by beating the slag out of Ramjet... The Coneheads are calling for your head, but we can keep them under control. Screamer's been very supportive with me lately. I'm sure he could help you too, if you talk to him…"

"What the slag has Starscream been telling you?" Thundercracker brusquely said, his fists clenched in a mirror of the rage that suddenly was circulating freely through his spark.

Skywarp's facial features returned to coldness as he pronounced his next words.

"He told me to kill you."

At the same time, Thundercracker felt his rage vanish, another facsimile vaporizing between his fingers. Now it was he who couldn't stare at his only friend. It was becoming too painful.

"I should have known…" he said in low voice, clearly to himself.

Skywarp didn't move. Suddenly, he had become a statue. Thundercracker stood in front of him. The distance between them was so short that any attempt of attack would have found its target.

"How many are they, Warp? And how close are they?"

Skywarp's body trembled. Of course he couldn't have been so naïve to expect Thundercracker to fly directly into a trap without any suspicion. But still, just the mention of his own betrayal was enough to cause him that foreign sensation that he could only associate with pain.

"Five," he said finally, without hesitating. "The Combaticons, actually… They're circling us right as we speak. You're surrounded, TC. As for their time of arrival… I don't know. Depends on how fast Vortex and Blast Off can fly… you do the math."

Thundercracker's radar didn't show any other energy signature but his own and Skywarp's. The accursed Combaticons were cloaking their signals like the prime mercenaries they were. There was no doubt of Onslaught's brilliant mind, created specifically for warfare.

"I just have one question, Warp. When exactly were you planning to tell me to escape?"

Skywarp didn't reply. He turned around and lowered his head, letting the moonlight caress his unusually serious profile.

"I see…" Thundercracker said, right before initiating his transformation process. By the time he finished, Skywarp had already teleported out from a terrestrial landscape that, in the end, he detested profoundly.

……….

Thundercracker wasn't surprised by the lack of activity on his radars. The only signals that resembled life belonged to that flock of birds that were continuing their nocturnal migration, following some millenary programming that some of them wouldn't live to complete.

"_They jump from their nest when they are sparklings. Many of them die, they break their puny little bodies but they keep jumping, no matter if their first flight turns out to be the last…"_

Was that his last flight, then? Would he too be destroyed whilst doing what he was never supposed to do?

He refused to accept it, not yet, even though the calm around him pended heavy as a termination sentence. He remembered an old story he had read about a human that had tried to escape death only to find it in the last place he would've thought. If his destiny was written, the ultimate shutdown would reach him, no matter how fast he flew, no matter how far.

His engines roared with fury. There was no such thing as destiny. Only he, his actions and decisions, dictated the path of his own existence. Megatron himself had told him. He had changed his own destiny. And he would do it again, and again, and again… as many times as necessary.

Being hunted was nothing he hadn't expected. He had known it since the moment his comm link had cracked to life carrying the voice of his best friend. And he had gone right into the trap, following some stupid sense of honour that had grown stronger since he had found a substitute for a home within the walls of the Ark.

But hope had been present too, perhaps the same hope Skywarp had had when giving him those few moments before leaving him to the mercy of his hunters, perhaps expecting that some last astro second miracle would happen… Skywarp had never been subtle, and now that he had chosen to be the result was excruciating.

"_Enjoying the view?" _

Thundercracker would have liked to ignore the aristocratic voice that could be heard through his comm link. He didn't know Blast Off that well, but he knew he loved to attack his enemies from his very distant location in outer space, nothing more than a cold void surrounding him.

But he had the feeling that Blast Off had decided to abandon his post for the occasion, as two deadly laser beams grazing his fuselage confirmed.

Thundercracker increased his speed as much as he could. He would have no problems in leaving Blast Off behind, but his current predicament would be not that easy to solve; if a Combaticon was close, four more were even closer.

"_Accelerate all you want, traitor. You have no escape," _Blast Off continued with all the calm of a mech who was used to spending most of his time floating in space.

But Thundercracker wasn't willing to stay on the other side of the shooting range.

The sky exploded into pieces. A full power sonic boom shocked the night and, within the chaos, a blue and grey demon broke through the sound hell he had unleashed.

"Who said I was trying to escape?!" Thundercracker roared as he headed upwards, his laser cannons erupting as much as fire as possible.

He heard Blast Off's cry of pain before making visual contact with him. The view of one of the space shuttle's wings being torn in two by one of his accurate shots provided him endless satisfaction.

"_You'll pay for that!" _another voice made itself heard whilst two helixes appeared out of nowhere. Blinded by his own rage, Thundercracker hadn't noticed Vortex's proximity.

But he certainly felt it, as the helixes sharp as swords sliced his lateral fuel line.

Pain and malfunction alerts became one. Thundercracker saw Vortex backing off as he felt the disagreeable sensation of energon leaking through the wound, the night being bathed by a taste of his own life, escaping through some blasted orifice.

Thundercracker tried to deviate his course but it was too late. A very accurate shot coming from beneath hit his damaged fuselage, making his fuel line explode and sending him spiraling toward the ground.

The sky had suddenly become forbidden, that was clear. As the ground got closer to him, Thundercracker saw the dark blue-green truck waiting beneath, his double-barreled cannon still smoking. It was so humiliating… brought down by an anti-aircraft warrior. Onslaught certainly knew how to emphasize a defeat.

Some mechano meters from hitting the ground, Thundercracker transformed to his bipedal mode in an attempt to minimize the fall. He succeeded in keeping himself alive, but the brutal impact was too much for his structure. The joints of his right knee gave up immediately, almost breaking his leg in two. Thundercracker didn't know what was worse: the pain or the sound, both equally unbearable, both signals of the doom to come.

The inertia of the fall finally allowed his body to stop bumping around, but he didn't have time to evaluate just how damaged he was. An intense pain shocked him again as he was kicked in the side, right in the big wound near his waist. Energon came out from his mouth, mixing with the fuel that had already soiled the dust.

He saw the tall figure beside him, preparing to kick him again.

"Mmmh, that doesn't look good," Brawl said, looking at Thundercracker's marred leg. "Let me see if I can return it to its place."

With that, Brawl stepped brutally on Thundercracker's knee joint, making the Seeker growl in pain.

"What have I told you about tact, Brawl?" Vortex said, standing beside his teammate and shaking his head. "You'd be a disaster of an interrogator."

"Last time I checked, interrogation was the last thing we had in mind concerning this slag-sucker."

"How much do you guys think a couple of original Seeker wings would cost in the underground circuit?" Swindle asked, approaching from Thundercracker's left side and already delighting himself in the thought of possible profits to come.

"Not much," Brawl said with disdain. "Considering they will be scrap by the time we finish with them."

Thundercracker's trembling arms lifted in an attempt to shoot his shoulder-mounted cannons but he was immediately immobilized by Brawl and Swindle, who stepped on his forearms and forced him to stay motionless on the ground. He struggled as ferociously as he could in his weakened state, but all he managed to do was increase the leak in his damaged fuel line.

A fourth shadow towered him. "I would have given you more credit than to waste the little life you have left on some useless attempt at resistance, Thundercracker. A warrior knows when he's been defeated. Now I see you are no warrior and you never were. You are nothing but a disgusting traitor."

Onslaught's coldness was more terrifying than any of his subordinates' aggressive expressions. Thundercracker knew the danger that the Combaticon leader and tactician represented. Within the rigid code of honour embedded into that war machine there was no place for mercy.

"I find it curious… that precisely you talk about treason…" Thundercracker managed to say. "Being as you are, some sort of expert on the matter."

Retaliation came, as predicted. Onslaught kicked Thundercracker's face, breaking one of his optics with the strength of the impact.

"I'll tell you about _curious. _Curious is how you are unable to understand treason, despite carrying it as your badge. You see, Thundercracker, this is not about betrayal, or any other empty concept the other Decepticons are trying to use against you. This is about the biggest aberration of all, this is about you being a deserter."

Of course, a hardcore military mech as Onslaught couldn't have seen it any other way.

"And as any deserter, termination is your only fate," Onslaught continued. "Simple military logic. Don't make the mistake of believing I'm taking this personally because I'm not, not even after you seriously damaged one of my teammates."

"Can we have some fun with him before he's terminated?" Brawl asked, increasing the pressure of his foot on Thundercracker's forearm.

"You can, but don't kill him just yet. Megatron wants to give this deserter the kill shot himself."

"Whatever you say, boss."

Onslaught gave one last look to the fallen one before transforming back into his alternate mode. Thundercracker knew it was over. Onslaught wasn't one to soil his hands with the dirty job his troops were very capable – and eager – to carry on by themselves.

"Meet me at the specified coordinates in two breems. Blast Off is requesting mechanical assistance."

Thundercracker didn't have time to realize the departure of the Combaticon leader. Suddenly, the weight on his forearms eased only to be replaced by a strong foot impacting him in the side, partially penetrating his perforated metal layers.

He groaned in pain as more energon came out from his mouth components. He was sure he had internal damage. Suffering was still as livid as a servo when he was impacted again; this time the target was his chest. Thundercracker could see the shattered yellow pieces of his cockpit falling to the grass.

"S… slag you…" he muttered. "Why… do you always… target my cockpit?"

Brawl shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Because it's shinny, perhaps."

The tank former lifted his leg again, ready to inflict more pain on his victim, but an arm positioned itself softly on his shoulder.

"Wait, Brawl. You are making a mess and the results are frankly poor. Inflicting pain is an art in which you have a lot to learn, if not everything."

Brawl frowned but stepped aside, stepping again on Thundercracker's right arm whilst Swindle did the same with the left one.

Vortex's features were hidden because of his face mask, but Thundercracker could have sworn the blasted Combaticon was smirking.

"The best thing about pain is that it's so simple," Vortex said, extracting some thin object from a compartment on his leg. "I haven't been able to understand in centuries why brutes like you insist on keeping it messy, Brawl, old friend. The results are much better, not to mention more delicious, when aiming directly at the core of the enemy's weakness. There's no need for preambles."

"Fascinating… Please go on," Swindle said, smiling with endless satisfaction.

"What do we have here?" Vortex continued, like a teacher addressing his students. "A Seeker. And what is any Seeker's most sensitive zone?"

"His wings," Brawl responded.

"Precisely. An obvious answer, but no less satisfying because of that. Yes, his wings. Now, the wings are not precisely a small zone. So how do we work on them? Easy, my friends, we go for the area with the bigger concentration of sensitive receivers. Let's say, this joint…"

The device in Vortex's hand activated, revealing a fine but sharp laser saber. Thundercracker could feel its heat long before it approached his structure.

"Don't…" his desperation talked. "Wait…"

Vortex stopped his movement, the laser saber shining merciless. "Did you say something, TC?"

Thundercracker bit his lip components, ashamed of his moment of weakness but also not ready to die.

Vortex chuckled. "Of course, how inconsiderate of me not to inform you what I'm planning to do to you." The Combaticon lowered the weapon, grazing Thundercracker's face with its edge. "This, as you can see, is a Cybertronian saber. Don't let it fool you with its dimensions. Not all destructive weapons come in big sizes, as you already know. But returning to our business, what I plan to do with this saber is to dismember you."

Vortex had spoken so casually, as if he were talking about any other unimportant matter.

"Fascinating, don't you think?" the Combaticon helicopter continued. "Such a thin ray of light, and yet so powerful… You wouldn't believe how easily it will sever your limbs, one by one, cutting through the layers of your armour, slicing your wires, burning your inner circuitry… and finally, your body will be so mutilated that you'll have serious problems recognizing yourself. That is, of course, if your processor allows you to compute something other than unbearable suffering. Please allow me to demonstrate."

The laser saber lowered one mechano inch more, such an insignificant distance but the exact difference between anticipation and torment. Thundercracker couldn't help but flinch when the sharp edge touched his face, leaving a thin but deep, red hot line on his cheek.

"Ah, it hurts, doesn't it?" Vortex asked. "I would suppose so, having seen so many of my victims begging me to kill them before feeling this baby again… Now let's proceed, shall we? We have already wasted too much time here."

Just as promised, Vortex went for the core of Thundercracker's pain. The laser saber traveled the small distance between his face and his right wing's joint so slowly that Thundercracker wondered if time was being delayed somehow. But what happened right after proved that time could be as merciless as his torturers.

The weapon touched his wing's joint. Indescribable pain assaulted Thundercracker as the saber began to cut through the flexible metal of one of his greatest assets.

He screamed. He couldn't help it. His vocalizer didn't obey his courage. What else could he do when being made a martyr?

"Music to my audios, guys," Brawl said, as the fuel coming out from Thundercracker's injury began to splatter his leg.

The Seeker mumbled something unintelligible, his vocalizer unable to articulate properly both because of the pain and the energon coming out from his mouth.

Vortex stopped cutting and leaned toward his victim. "Excuse me? Did you say something, TC?"

"A… a…"

"What was that? It would be easier to understand you if you stopped spitting energon, you know?" Swindle mocked.

"A… a little more… to the right… please…"

Vortex's satisfied countenance turned immediately into anger. "What the slag--? Alright, if that's what you want!"

The torture continued, more intensely. Vortex had lost his quiet temper and all he wanted was to inflict the ultimate pain, no more need for acid remarks.

Thundercracker felt invaded by the flavour of his own vital fuel. He was biting his lip components so hard that he injured them due to the pressure his dental plates were applying. But he hadn't had another way to keep his vocalizer shut. Otherwise he would scream in agony, scream until the last circuit of his body stopped pumping.

Suddenly, the saber stopped cutting. He could still feel the devastating pain corroding the circuits of his right wing, but the accursed weapon had retired from his body.

Voices arrived from somewhere distant to his numbed audios.

"… _totally out of place. This is Combaticon territory, and you're trespassing!"_

"_Combaticon territory?! I'm his fraggin' wingmate! You microchip morons have nothing to do here!"_

"_Frag off, Skywarp, or you'll get injured!"_

"_You frag off, Brawl! You were supposed to capture him, not to fraggin' slice him to pieces!"_

"_Ah, how sweet of you to defend your boyfriend... Don't worry Skywarp, we'll leave you his head so you can use it to decorate your berth. How about that?"_

A metallic noise followed the last remark, accompanied by the very familiar dazzling light that Skywarp left behind every time he teleported.

Thundercracker felt the pressure on his forearms ease as Brawl and Swindle released him, certainly to assist Vortex, who had been thrown unceremoniously on his aft after being punched.

"Kill the traitor!" Vortex shouted, getting up and attempting to grab the laser saber he had lost during the altercation.

But he didn't get that far. Skywarp reappeared right behind him and grabbed him by the neck, pointing the mounted cannon of his free arm toward the Combaticon's temple. Swindle and Brawl aimed their weapons toward the black Seeker, but kept their distance.

"Traitor?" Skywarp repeated angrily. "_Traitor?? _You should be careful who you address that way, Combaticon scum!"

Vortex growled before stopping his struggle against his captor. "What do you call yourself, then? You're helping a deserter, Skywarp, against everything that the Decepticons laws dictate! Megatron ordered us to…"

Skywarp burst into laughter. "Spare me the irony, propeller head! Don't you dare mention Megatron's name when it was you and your screwed teammates who tried to destroy him twice! And don't you dare call me traitor, you hear me? If there's one Decepticon that deserves to be called loyal, that's me!"

"You slaggin' son of a glitch!"

"This has nothing to do with Decepticon laws! This is a Seeker affair! Now you three stand back! I'm not here to fight you, but to execute the traitor myself!"

"Yeah, right, I'd like to see that…" Brawl said.

Skywarp released his prisoner and pushed him away roughly. "If you keep standing in my way, I'll directly notify Megatron how you interfered in a matter that I consider strictly personal. With his betrayal, Thundercracker injured my honour and my position as an elite member of the Decepticon army. As his former wingmate, nobody has more right to punish him than me."

The three Combaticons exchanged a quick glance, seeing some reason in Skywarp's words. Decepticons took subgroup affairs very seriously, and indeed, just as the Combaticons had brutally punished Swindle by themselves after the incident in which he had sold them as scrap metal, they understood that a Seeker offense would be better solved by one of their own.

"Fine," Vortex said. "But you'll answer to Megatron for this execution."

Skywarp nodded and approached his fallen ex wingmate, completely forgetting about the presence of the Combaticons.

Slowly, the black Seeker lifted his cannons and aimed them toward his fallen friend.

"Warp… wait…" Thundercracker muttered, unable to believe what was happening.

Skywarp's optics narrowed into two lines of hate.

"You did this to yourself, TC…"

The last thing Thundercracker saw was the light coming out from Skywarp's cannons, the ultimate prelude of death.

_To be continued._

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_I felt real sadness whilst writing this chapter… Thanks to iratepirate for the beta reading and the tissues. _

_Sorry for the ugly cliffhanger. Good news is that update is on progress. Please let me know your opinions._


	28. Goodbye my friend, part 2

_Thank you VERY much for all your reviews. I was very glad that you enjoyed last chapter so much. I didn't want to keep you waiting after such an ugly cliffhanger, so here you have the update. Sorry for the three "goodbyes" in a row in the titles of the chapters, by the way._

_Thanks to my beta reader iratepirate, who once again provided the tissues. _

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**Chapter 28**

**Goodbye my friend**

**Part 2**

_Iacon, Military Academy, Special Unit 000, fifty thousand vorns ago._

Many organic species would have been surprised, even jealous, to learn that insomnia was not exclusive to flesh and blood.

Thundercracker walked through the web of corridors that were becoming very familiar. He hadn't been in that classified military unit for very long, but the training had been so intense that he felt he had spent vorns there. As the cycles passed and he acquired more and more knowledge and combat techniques, he felt a little part of himself fading, vanishing amongst the machinery of war.

But there was one thing he hadn't learnt, an effective way to silence the permanent feeling of dissatisfaction inside of him, the silent voice that seemed destined to keep him continuously restless. Was he making the right decisions? Did his life have any sense at all?

Perhaps he was just an eternal nonconformist. Perhaps he was thinking too much, a very dangerous activity considering he was in a place in which actions were priorities. A warrior couldn't afford the luxury of hesitation, otherwise his doubts would become his murderers.

So, instead of recharging, he was on his way to the shooting range, the place in which lately he had found a shelter to vent his rage, improving his fighting abilities at the same time. He was too proud to admit it even to himself, but in order to stop being just one gear more in the machine, he had to become the best of his class, he had to become an elite soldier…

A fleeting shine to his left caught his attention. He turned around only to find nothing. But Thundercracker was not a mech easy satisfied. He adjusted his optic sensors and discovered the imperceptible particles that proved that a light had existed in a place in which only a ghost remained.

The flight training field… but who could be there at that hour? No one was allowed into the most classified area of the entire unit out of schedule.

The purple light happened again, leaving no doubt about the identity of the infiltrator.

Thundercracker peeked through the half opened entrance just in time to see Skywarp reappearing after a failed jump into subspace, just as his frustrated grimace proved it.

Falling to his knees and punching the metallic ground was a logical outcome. It was so weird to see the normally cheerful and superficial Skywarp in such state of mind, more proof of how deceitful appearances were.

Thundercracker had felt an instant dislike toward Skywarp when he had met him. The intrigue of meeting another Seeker of the same model he had been reformatted to had quickly vanished once he realized that Skywarp was vain, selfish and careless. It had taken a quick glance to realize that the black Seeker cared more about getting laid than anything related to his military career.

But appearances could be very deceitful indeed.

There was no trace of such irresponsible attitude in the grimace of the mech who was on his fours on the ground, infinitely frustrated whilst a motionless combat drone stood undamaged beside him, solid evidence of his failure.

"Skywarp?"

Perhaps the most startled by the sound of his voice was Thundercracker himself. He had intended to leave Skywarp to his nocturnal teleporting practices, but instead, he was speaking to him…

Fast as a Seeker had to be, Skywarp got up and replaced his scowl with his usual smirk.

"Oh, hey TC… What are you doing here this late?"

"I could ask you the same question, but it would be pointless," Thundercracker replied whilst taking a glance over the half dozen combat drones that remained in perfect condition whilst countless scorch marks adorned the ground.

Skywarp burst into laughter and scratched his head. "You say that because of these junk piles? Naaah, I was just fooling around a little, you know how it is… I couldn't enter recharge mode so I came here. I guess I left the entrance open, huh?"

Thundercracker walked toward one of the combat drones, the only one that was fallen.

"How long have you been a teleporter?" he asked.

"Ever since creation…" Skywarp replied, visibly uncomfortable. "You wouldn't believe it considering how bad I do it, huh?"

"You did very well teleporting us out when those Coneheads attacked me when I first arrived here."

"Ah, yeah… Well, that was easy. I had the coordinates of my destination very clear, not to mention it was an isolated area… I wish I could do it the same way in these combat simulations, but I just can't fraggin' do it… I always reappear in the wrong place no matter how hard I try… and of course, that causes me to fail the shot… otherwise all these drone slaggers would be junk by now."

"Mmmh… My knowledge about teleportation is very basic, but I've read it is a matter of speed, calculations and instinct. I have seen you flying and you are very fast. I don't think speed is your problem."

"Nope, my problem has to do with cerebral shells. It's like Screamer says, Vector Sigma must have been very over energized to give the teleporting ability to a loser like me… Look, TC, let's face it. I'm not a very bright mech. Ever since I was created I was diagnosed as a failure, a waste of a teleporter 'cause I didn't have the processor to make it work. The only reason I was assigned to this unit is because I'm the only teleporter Seeker in the Army, otherwise I would be some second class cargo ship… But look at me, I finished my sparkling phase a while ago, and I still can't handle this slaggin' ability… I've started to believe I never will."

Skywarp bowed his head, victim of an anguish that seemed so foreign to him. Thundercracker couldn't help but feel sorry for him, amazed by his own reaction and by the sudden interest he had taken in that troubled Seeker.

"I beg to differ," Thundercracker said after some moments of silence.

"What?"

"I think you believe you will eventually succeed, otherwise you wouldn't be here in the first place."

"W-what do you mean?"

"You have been practicing here every night shift, haven't you? I wonder how honest you are all those times when you brag about sneaking out of the Academy to lose yourself in taverns and pleasure houses. The truth is that you have been coming here, am I right?"

"Er… no… well, maybe just sometimes…"

Thundercracker kicked the fallen combat drone close to his feet and stood firmly before the confused Skywarp.

"I'll be your opponent. Teleport and see if you can attack me by surprise."

"What? You're not serious…"

"Just do it. It's much better to practice with a living rival."

"Huh… I don't know, TC… If I fail the teleportation process and catch you in the middle, I could seriously hurt both of us, even kill us..."

"Then you'd better not fail. Teleport now!"

"I… I'm not sure…"

"Slag it, Skywarp, are you a warrior or a petro rabbit? Maybe you would do better as one of these mindless drones!"

Just as Thundercracker had suspected, Skywarp was easy to provoke. The face of the black Seeker transformed into a grimace of anger right before a void and a flashing purple light replaced him on the spot where he had been standing.

Immediately, Thundercracker turned around and roughly pushed off the figure that reappeared right behind him.

"Too predictable!" he said. "Try again."

Skywarp scowled but disappeared again.

And again.

And again.

Neither of the two Seekers could have said how many times they clashed that night. But within everything that practice meant, they both knew something stronger than iron was beginning to be forged.

……….

Several breems later, Thundercracker fell on his aft on the ground, followed by Skywarp, both Seekers exhausted and exhibiting dents all over their bodies.

"Ah, slag… I don't think I ever burnt so much fuel in so few breems… All my servos are overheating…" Skywarp said. "You didn't look like such a tough fighter, TC… Honestly, I wouldn't like to face you in a real battle."

"The feeling… is mutual," Thundercracker replied, his vents expelling air. "If this would have been a real fight, you would've killed me at least three times, not to mention seriously injured me another ten…"

"Yeah? Well, you could've turned me to scrap twenty four times in a row… and there's where I stopped counting."

"Let's go now," Thundercracker said, getting up and offering his hand to Skywarp. "The early shift will start in less than two breems and we should refuel if we want to survive the training today."

Skywarp accepted the hand and retained it after he had assumed a standing position.

"Thanks, TC… for everything, you know…"

"Don't mention it, Skywarp. I was needing some good combat practice myself."

"You can call me Warp."

"What?"

"Warp, I like it better… not that I don't like my name, I love it actually, but you can call me Warp."

"Fine... Warp it will be, then."

That night a tacit pact was made. They never signed it with words, but both Thundercracker and Skywarp swore that they would always be there for each other, that together they would survive anything fate had prepared for them, no matter how ugly its face turned out to be.

………

_Earth, present time._

It is said that a mech's life scrolls right before his optics at the moment of his death.

It took Thundercracker just an astro klik to realize just how fake such belief was.

No life could be resumed in that single moment, unable to be defined by mere amounts of time.

Mainly, because it happened too fast.

So there was no time for revising a life. Death only allowed a victim enough time to have one memory, especially if said memory involved his potential assassin.

Skywarp's cannons vomited laser fire, but Thundercracker only realized he hadn't been hit when the real targets collapsed to the ground with big, ugly, smoking wounds on their chests.

Vortex and Brawl didn't even have time to realize what had happened. They were offline before the dirt received their structures, but that was all that the element of surprise allowed Skywarp to do. Swindle avoided the laser beam directed toward him and hid behind a tree formation, returning the fire.

Skywarp was hit on the shoulder. He lost his balance for a moment but hurried to take cover. For some astro seconds, all that could be heard was the deadly symphony of both Decepticons exchanging laser beams, until Swindle decided to follow an alternate course of action.

One shot impacted right beside Thundercracker's head, who remained on the ground, too weakened to look for cover.

"You stop this right now, Skywarp, or I'll shot your buddy to death!" Swindle yelled, accompanying his threat with another shot very close to Thundercracker's fuselage.

"Careful with that gun of yours, Swindle! Don't forget I can teleport anywhere around you and turn your ugly face into a nice collection of burned circuits. How would you like that?"

"Why haven't you tried, then?" Swindle retorted. "Don't make me laugh, clown! This place is full of trees and rocks. And let me guess, you're afraid to end up embedded into one of them before you can fulfill your pathetic teleporting attacks. You should try something else, flyboy, because that's a veeeeery old trick!"

"Just scram! We don't have to fight. Your teammates are not badly damaged and they'll be online in a few breems… I tell you this again: this is not of your concern! It's my fraggin' business and mine only!"

"Yeah right, I can see Megatron taking very kindly to the idea that I abandoned my teammates –again – and allowed the deserter to escape. In your dreams, slagger! Besides, in my opinion, now there are two traitors instead of one!"

Surprisingly, Skywarp didn't seem to be offended by Swindle's words. "Alright, alright, you win… You're absolutely right, Swindle, so I say let's cut the crap and proceed to speak in your own language. In other words, let's get to business."

From his hidden spot, Swindle smirked. "I never get tired of those words. What do you have to offer me, flyboy?"

"Fifty energon cubes and one hundred thousand credits if you help me to get TC out of here."

"Tempting, tempting… but not enough. Come on, you can do better than that."

"Okay! Fifty energon cubes now, another twenty next deca-cycle and one hundred and fifty thousand energon credits."

"Mmmmh… and?"

"And… the promise that I won't turn _you _into scrap and sell your remains as junk! I guess you're very familiar with those procedures. I should ask Onslaught about it, huh? I heard his head made a lovely trash compactor before returning to his neck joint."

"Geee… am I cursed to be reminded of that for eternity? It's old history! And not my fault, for your information. I just had a slight dysfunction in my personality component, that was all…"

"Whatever! What's your decision, then?"

Swindle came out from his hiding spot, all his previous attitude gone in favour of the sacred cause of profits.

"I'm in," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

Skywarp also abandoned his shelter behind a rock formation and approached Thundercracker. "Help me to pick him up."

Swindle shrugged his shoulders but approached too. "Whatever you say, but you're risking too much for a traitorous scum."

Thundercracker flinched when Skywarp leaned over him and helped him to sit. His touch was not rough, but not gentle either.

"W-warp…"

"Shut it. Can you walk?"

Thundercracker grimaced in pain when he tried to move the disaster his right leg was. "Aaargh… no… not a chance."

"What about flying?"

Thundercracker took a fast look at his half severed wing. "Do I… do I look like I can f… fly…?"

"You look like you can barely talk," Swindle said, smirking.

"I bought your assistance, not your opinions," Skywarp scowled. "Now help me to lift him up, come on!"

"You'd be a lousy team leader, you know that?" Swindle said, but put Thundercracker's left arm over his shoulder whilst Skywarp did the same with the right one.

Thundercracker growled in pain when Skywarp carelessly touched his damaged wing.

"Oh, stop the drama slag, would you?" Swindle said. "Vortex didn't damage you _that _much. I've seen him doing much worse than that."

"Really? Where? In the scrap heap?" Skywarp said with a tone of voice that announced that his bad mood was deteriorating even more. "Just shut up and activate your anti gravitational system."

"As you command, sir! Uffff… What's with the attitude? Who are you and what did you do with Skywarp?" Swindle retorted as they abandoned the ground.

Skywarp's natural response would have been some sort of aggressive remark, but he kept silent. He was immersed in his own world, away from everything that surrounded him. He kept Thundercracker firmly held, but at the same time it seemed like he could barely stand to touch him.

"Hey," Swindle said when they had gained enough altitude. "In how many pieces do you think you would break if we released you from here, _Thundercraphead? _That would be a nice ending for a traitor, don't you think? Besides, don't dare to believe I have forgotten what you did to me back in the Nemesis."

Thundercracker didn't reply. All his systems were fading, trying to force his body to enter stasis mode and prevent further damage. But he was fighting numbness the same way he would have fought an enemy. He wasn't sure about Skywarp's intentions, but he knew his friend hadn't saved him following only what their former friendship dictated. Skywarp had something else in mind; Thundercracker wouldn't have been surprised if his friend decided to follow Swindle's suggestion and drop him from that height, perhaps being merciful enough to shoot him to death before his body was destroyed by the merciless caress of the ground.

"Where are we taking him, anyway?" Swindle asked.

"To the Ark," Skywarp replied after a moment of silence.

"Did your processor fry??"

"What do you want me to do with him, then?! Take him to Hook instead?"

"That would certainly be less dangerous than entering enemy's aerial space. Do you know what the Autobots will do once they see us, you moron? What you're paying me does not cover my life insurance!"

"Slaggit, Combaticon! Is there a way you could possibly be more of a coward? My radars are detecting an Autobot patrol near here. We just need to fly a couple of mechano miles to the east and we should intercept them. I don't think they will shoot us once they see our charge."

"You're on your own, then. I did enough by not shooting this betrayer to death, but that's as far as I go concerning high treason. If I get caught in actions that remotely smell like disloyalty, Megatron will use my head as a waste disposal unit. Besides, I better help my comrades in disgrace before Onslaught suspects anything," Swindle said, releasing Thundercracker's arm and starting to fly in the opposite direction.

"Where do you think you're going, you cowardly piece of slag? Come back here!" Skywarp yelled, shooting a warning laser beam toward Swindle, but the Combaticon was out of sight before he could improve his aim.

A colorful flow of Cybertronian curses came from Skywarp's vocalizer as he tightened his grip on the shattered body of his former friend.

Seeing his opportunity, Thundercracker dared to speak again. "Warp… I…"

Skywarp shot him a killer glance. "Didn't you hear when I told you to shut it? Don't you dare to talk to me, do you understand TC? Don't you dare! I've had enough with your problems and the pathetic Autobot you kept hidden inside of you all this fraggin' time! Slag! Where in the inferno is that accursed patrol?"

The dots in Skywarp's radar turned into two figures that advanced from the distance, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

………….

Hundreds of thousands of vorns of war had left an immense amount of data in Sunstreaker's memory banks, but there was one sound in particular that came so easily into his memory. Dawn was getting closer when he heard that accursed noise again, the unmistakable purr of the thrusters of a Seeker.

The same happened with Sideswipe. He saw Skywarp before his radars could confirm it, his body flying not so gracefully due to the additional weight he was carrying.

"What the slag…?" Sideswipe said, materializing his gun.

Sunstreaker imitated him, aiming his weapon toward the oncoming Seekers.

"Sunny…" Sideswipe said.

"Sssh… wait… don't shoot until I say so."

The twins remained motionless whilst Skywarp descended, landing very few mechano meters away from them.

"I mean you no harm, Autobots," Skywarp said, "for now…"

"If you say so…" Sunstreaker replied. "But I'd say you have some explanations to give, don't you Skywarp?"

"I owe no explanations to a lousy Autobot."

"Oh, excuse me for insisting, but I think that would be the case considering who you are carrying and, most importantly, his current state… What the slag did you do to Thundercracker? Used him to wipe Devastator's aft?"

"I didn't do this," Skywarp said coldly.

"Really? Who did it then, Decepticreep? The tooth fairy?" Sideswipe asked, the aim of his gun pointed toward Skywarp's head.

"Easy, 'Sides," Sunstreaker tranquilized his brother. "Alright, let's suppose we believe what you're saying. Why are you helping him? Call me insane, but I have the slight feeling that Thundercracker wouldn't be the most popular guy in the Nemesis these days, unless by popular you mean a candidate for target practice, of course."

Skywarp didn't reply immediately. He fixated his glance on the ground as he pronounced some of the hardest words of his life.

"Just… just take care of him, Autobots."

Then he turned to Thundercracker, as if he were staring at him for the first time.

"Next time we meet, it will be as enemies. And you better fight me to the death because death is the only thing I'll have left for you," Skywarp said with a voice that sounded so foreign.

Without waiting for an answer, Skywarp released Thundercracker and punched him brutally on the face, sending him to the ground.

"Hey!" Sunstreaker shouted, taking a menacing step toward the black Seeker and honestly surprised that Thundercracker still had his head after that kind of impact.

But Skywarp completely ignored him. There was nothing else in that dusty terrestrial place in that moment, nothing more than he and the one that had turned from brother to enemy in less than a sigh, nothing more than an empty goodbye…

"You are dead to me."

Skywarp's words kept floating in the air long after he teleported out, leaving his usual purple mist behind but also the corpse of a friendship.

_To be continued._

_

* * *

_

_Once again, there was this painful sensation whilst writing this chapter… Next one coming soon. Thanks again for your comments, always very appreciated._


	29. Unusual shadows

**Chapter 29**

**Unusual shadows**

To say that Sideswipe was feeling sorry for Thundercracker would have sounded like an exaggeration, if not surreal. Pity was a very, very rare visitor to the gamut of feelings that the Autobot's processor computed, not to mention that he would have never wasted it on a Decepticon – especially if said Decepticon had been directly involved in the termination of his triplet brother.

But exceptions existed for strange reasons. Sideswipe was too cynical to say a comforting word, but he knew he was sorry for Thundercracker when he realized there was nothing amusing in the image of the defeated mech that was supposed to be an enemy.

"You look like junk…" he said, genuinely concerned. "Are you OK, Thundercracker?"

Sideswipe himself admitted how useless, not to mention stupid, his question had been. He was somehow thankful that Thundercracker didn't reply.

But it was when Sunstreaker approached Thundercracker that Sideswipe was completely sure about that strange feeling taking shape in his processor. The last thing he wanted to witness was his brother harassing or mocking the battered Decepticon.

"So," Sunstreaker said with a tone of voice that made his intentions impossible to detect. "Mind telling me what that was all about?"

As an answer, Thundercracker clenched his fists and uselessly tried to lift himself off the ground, obviously humiliated by the moment of weakness his enemies had witnessed.

"Not very talkative today, I see…" Sunstreaker continued. "Judging by your appearance, I'd say those wounds have an interesting story to tell."

"Leave the questioning for later. There could be more Decepticons in the area," Sideswipe said, stepping forward before his brother decided to finish what Thundercracker's former allies had started.

Sunstreaker's facial features were harder than iron; mockery was definitely absent that day. "Is that the case, Thundercracker? Are other Decepticons in the area? Are you ready to tell me who did this to you, or have you just discovered you have an addiction for pain? That wing of yours doesn't look good."

"Leave… me…" Thundercracker managed to say.

"Oh, you can speak after all. Now there's a start."

"There's no time for games, Sunny! We have to take him back to the Ark. He needs medical assistance immediately."

"I'm not playing any game."

"Sunny, come on! We can't leave him here."

"Who said anything about leaving him here?"

Sunstreaker kneeled, his leg grazing the bowed head of Thundercracker. "I just want to hear him saying please."

"Sunny…" Sideswipe's voice sounded like a plea.

But his brother wouldn't listen. "There's a magic word, Decepticon, a magic word that separates the living from the deactivated if the one listening is a mech of honour. Are you ready to say it?"

Thundercracker's only functional optic narrowed as his fists trembled in anger. Once again, Sideswipe wished such moment had never existed.

"Slag… you…" the Seeker muttered.

Fortunately for Sideswipe's anguish, Sunstreaker didn't shake his head, didn't make any acid remark… His facial features remained as cold as ice as he continued talking, as if Thundercracker hadn't spoke at all.

"A word that you must have heard very often, a word that you ignored… How many of your victims pleaded with you for something that was their right anyway? How many of them begged you to let them live, whilst they dragged themselves in the dust just as you are doing right now. And you… you pit-fragged scum… you listened, but you didn't care… You delivered the kill shot anyway, destroying their lives and those of the ones that cared for them."

Sideswipe grasped his brother's shoulder and forced him to turn around. "Sunny, this is not the moment for this. We have to take Thundercracker back now. His energy levels are almost depleted, not to mention his frame is a collection of dents and one of his wings is dangling!"

Sunstreaker didn't react. His optics were fixated on the fallen Seeker, as if looking to see through his defeated façade.

"Okay! If you don't want to help me, I'll do it myself!" Sideswipe spat, all patience lost.

"Don't blow a fuse, 'Sides, I'll help you," Sunstreaker said before staring at Thundercracker again. "But you still owe me that word, Decepticon."

* * *

The door of the Ark's Repair Bay opened to reveal a very unusual shadow.

Sunstreaker, with a jetpack still attached to his back, challenged the semi darkness, kicking away a table of medical tools that was in his way and roughly depositing his unwanted charge on the closest repair berth.

Thundercracker's processor activated with the hit. But his vocalizer onlined first, emitting a growl of pain as his damaged wing was received by the hard surface beneath.

"Ah, you were alive after all?" Sunstreaker said, shooting the Decepticon a disdainful glance. "You offlined right after 'Sides and I picked you up. I had hoped you'd deactivate during the journey back. Bad luck."

Small sparks jumped from Thundercracker's shattered optic as he tried to adjust his optical sensors to the partial darkness of the lonely Repair Bay.

"W… where…." he muttered, only to be silenced by the dazzling light that suddenly illuminated the place.

"Where are we, you ask? In the Pit, where did you think?" Sunstreaker replied, visibly ill-humored.

With notorious pain, Thundercracker raised his head and looked at his improvised saviour. "Did you…?"

"Save your aft? Yeah, unfortunately. But blame Sideswipe for that. He went to look for Ratchet in the Dinobots' lair or wherever he is to patch you up – again."

Thundercracker was about to say something, but a sudden short circuit in his half-severed wing made him cringe. He tried to control it, but suddenly his whole body started to shake.

"Oh great, now what? Are you going to die on me now, Decepticreep? Couldn't you choose another less compromising moment?" Sunstreaker spat, starting to rummage through Ratchet's equipment. "Frag! Where are those slaggin' pain killers?"

Circuits continued burning as Thundercracker made his best effort to stop exposing his weakness so much, but more than a shattered frame, a half mutilated wing was too much to bear for any Seeker, especially when said Seeker's will had received such a devastating blow as the loss of his one and only friend.

He was surprised when a figure towered him, immediately followed by a cooling and relaxing sensation.

"There," Sunstreaker said, emptying the contents of a thin metallic tube into Thundercracker's fuel line and tossing it aside after. "That should calm you down. Now stop playing the martyr, would you?"

The burned circuits in Thundercracker's wing started to stabilize, every spasm less painful than the previous one. The tranquilizers acted in silence, numbing his physical suffering but certainly not his anguish.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked after some of the heaviest astro seconds that had ever pended between two Cybertronians.

Sunstreaker grimaced with disdain. "Because that's what Optimus would've done… I guess… although I normally don't care a lot about what he says… Slag, why in the inferno am I telling these things to you?"

It was curious how such a cold look like the one in Sunstreaker's optics lacked so much of aggression. Even somebody less perceptive than Thundercracker would have noticed.

"I may have done it," Thundercracker said after another heavy silence.

Sunstreaker frowned. "What?"

"Killed your brother."

The Autobot's face didn't change, at least not to the common eye. If there was a storm happening inside of him, he was dissimulating it very well.

"I have always believed so," he finally said.

Thundercracker's only functional optic dimmed. "I remember the attack on that medical facility in Iacon… Everything was so chaotic. I… I killed many that day."

"Why are you telling me this? Are you gloating about your feats or are you just displaying a bizarre version of an apology?"

"I don't know," Thundercracker honestly replied.

"I don't care what you say, nothing can change what happened. No matter if you pulled the trigger or not, to me you are my brother's killer, just as your trinemates are."

Another defeat. Thundercracker had spoken without thinking, a very uncommon practice for someone that was used to silencing his opinions. And he didn't know why he had done it. Gratitude was an absence in that moment, but perhaps his honour was finding other ways to show itself, even if they were proving to be useless.

The tranquilizer in his fuel line started to drag him into oblivion, but right after his primary systems began to shut down, the sound of Sunstreaker's voice returned him to full consciousness.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"What…?"

"That slaughtering in the medical facility… Did you enjoy it?"

"I was following orders… It was my first mission as a Decepticon soldier. Like the others, all I cared about was impressing Megatron. At that moment… it was very important for me."

"That's not what I asked you, Thundercracker! Did you enjoy it or not?"

Thundercracker raised himself off the table, managing to support his weight on his elbows. That was a question he wasn't going to answer lying on a berth.

"I wanted to enjoy it… I tried to enjoy it. But I couldn't. And it got worse later. Every time it happened I tried to become numb, and every time I failed."

Silence that was almost tangible fell on the Repair Bay again. Sunstreaker turned around, perhaps too overwhelmed by that dense, cold air that enveloped everything; or perhaps afraid of himself, of what he could do to an enemy he had always hated.

"The truth is that you don't have an excuse, Thundercracker. Your remorse proves nothing. You killed fellow Cybertronians in the name of a tyrannical and empty cause, and you remained silent while you turned murdering into a habit… The thoughts of a mech don't define him, but his actions. And yours only prove how much of a vile coward you are."

Thundercracker said nothing. He had repeated those same words to himself so many times, but Sunstreaker was right. Condemning his past actions was meaningless if he hadn't done anything to stop them, and he had to admit he had had many opportunities to do so, to take a brave step forward and break the vicious circle.

"Maybe now you'll understand," the voice of Sunstreaker reached Thundercracker's audios again as the tranquilizers finally took over his systems and started to shut them down into stasis mode. "Now that you have lost a brother too."

Yes, Thundercracker realized as he fell into oblivion, that was exactly what he had lost.

* * *

Softness had always been a stranger.

He had paid for it, in the shape of the arms of strangers, femmes that sold pleasure but not affection.

He had had it, in the hands of his creator, the only ones able to combine roughness and tenderness with the unique logic that only a family bond could create.

And then, it had been gone, for too many millenia to remember it.

But there it was again, in the middle of nowhere, in the place without limits in which he was nothing but a tiny particle in the universe of oblivion.

His optics returned to online status – yes, once again he had two optics – slowly allowing the blurry shadows around him to take shape. There was the ceiling, orange colored, warm and friendly. Thundercracker suddenly realized that, at some point, he had got used to that colour. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

And there was something else… a hand, gentle and paternal, travelling over one of his arms. His view was momentary obstructed by a blurry white shape as the hand reached his face and softly began to rub it with a wash cloth. Stains of his own vital fluid continued to moisten the textile.

Unfortunately, the facial features of his saviour didn't match the delicacy of his touch. Thundercracker could have sworn he saw real preoccupation in Ratchet's countenance before the medic's features returned to their usual ill-humored status.

"Oh, so you're online again. About time! You have already wasted too much energy from my life supporter," Ratchet grumped as he retired the wash cloth.

"Give him a break, Ratchet. He suffered very severe damage," Wheeljack said, approaching from the other side of the repair berth. "How are you feeling, Thundercracker?"

Thundercracker made an effort to get up, but the still active effect of the tranquilizers kept him attached to the repair berth.

"Does… like slag… mean anything to you?" he mumbled.

"It will mean your immediate future if you keep trying to move," Ratchet said, frowning. "We didn't spend an entire cycle working on your frame for you to mess it up in a blink of an optic. No, wait, you're an expert on the matter. How long did it take you to destroy the work of art I had created for you before? Two breems? I swear I had never imagined you were such a frequent visitor of the Emergency Room. Are you a masochist or something?"

Wheeljack couldn't help but laugh. "You're watching too much human television, old friend. Can we return now to our business and leave the bickering for later? Thank you very much. Now, Thundercracker, we installed a new optic for you…"

"Yeah, red as you Decepticreeps like it."

"Ratchet, please… Okay, as I was saying, we installed a new optic for you but I don't know if your systems have finished adapting it yet. Follow the read beam – no pun intended – and try not to miss it."

Wheeljack generated a thin red light and passed it from one extreme of the wall to the other. Despite his numbness, Thundercracker could follow it without any problem.

"Mmmph, not bad," Ratchet said, providing his version of approval. "One thing less to worry about, how exciting… Let's continue, then. Your knee suffered severe damage – again – but I think we got it covered. Wheeljack and I have some doubts about your wing, though."

Wheeljack nodded. "We repaired it – and I have to admit we did an excellent job – but to be honest we aren't sure about its functionality."

"That was until we realized the damn thing had started to regenerate by itself. Has it always been this way?"

Thundercracker stared at Ratchet with very unfriendly optics. "Do you say that because I wasn't created as a Seeker?"

"Oh, please spare me another display of your inferiority complexes, Decepticon. I'm just informing you that we were seriously thinking about replacing your whole wing, but it seems that it won't be necessary. Of course, you still have to test it in the air to be sure, but I dare to say you were lucky this time and you'll be able to keep your wing even though your friends sliced it like a piece of cheese."

Thundercracker frowned. "Like a piece of what?"

Ratchet rolled his optics. "You don't know what cheese is? By the Primary Program, but just how long have you been on this planet? _Only _two terrestrial years? That's why you Decepticon slaggers fail all the time. You don't even know the worlds you pretend to conquer, morons."

Ratchet dedicated the Seeker a last grimace before turning around and heading toward a cabinet full of medical tools.

"Am I imagining things or is he moodier than he usually is, if such thing is possible?" Thundercracker asked.

Wheeljack's head-fins illuminated as he chuckled. "Don't pay attention to him. He was deadly worried about you and that's his way of showing it."

"Yes, I think I'm beginning to understand his peculiar ways of… worrying."

"Well, can you blame him? The truth is that we all were very concerned about you. There's almost a dozen Autobots and three humans outside this room waiting for news about you."

"Why would they care?"

Wheeljack shook his head slightly. "You still haven't learned anything, have you Thundercracker?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not the mech to tell you that. There are things you have to discover by yourself… Now shut down for a while. You still need to rest for at least one entire cycle before you even try to walk again."

Thundercracker did what Wheeljack said, although he knew in advance that rest was something he wouldn't be able to do. He had a lot to think about, but it wouldn't be easy with so much anguish obstructing the way.

_To be continued._

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_We are reaching the final chapters, guys. Keep those seatbelts on because more intense things are coming. Thanks a lot for your support and opinions, they always bright my day :o)_

_Thanks a lot to iratepirate for the beta reading and the inspiration._


	30. Shades of grey

_This update took a little longer than I was expecting, but I was temporarly delayed with a blank space at the middle of the course I wanted this story to take. _

_Many thanks to iratepirate for beta reading and for her assistance in this crucial part of this story._

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**Chapter 30**

**Shades of grey**

The Autobots used to say that Prowl was a black and white mech, and not precisely because of his paintjob.

Prowl was very aware of those comments, but as he did with everything he considered unimportant, he simply ignored them. Being Autobot Second in Command put him in an uneasy position, somehow isolated, but he had never been a very sociable robot, anyway.

Proud of his principles as he was, Prowl was currently facing a dilemma that was seriously challenging his stoic personality component. For the first time in eons, he wasn't sure about where to locate a certain recent disruption in the order of things, an order that had prevailed for thousands of vorns.

War hadn't been computed in his processor at the moment of his creation, and yet he had learned to accept it and to establish codes and regulations to adapt himself to it. But sometimes, only sometimes, his own codes and regulations were not enough; and when those situations occurred, Prowl found himself feeling really uncomfortable.

And such was the current case. As he walked toward the entrance of the base, he disapproved of the shadows that darkened his thoughts. He knew it wasn't his place to condemn Thundercracker's presence in the Autobot base. The Seeker had proven his good intentions and his honour, both very valuable qualities in Prowl's opinion. Besides, most of the Autobots had already accepted Thundercracker and were starting to treat him with sincere comradeship.

But Prowl knew better than to trust in a Decepticon, especially one that was guilty of so many crimes against practically every Cybertronian and Intergalactic Law. It wasn't a prejudice guided by personal vendettas as most of his comrades in arms had shown in the beginning. Prowl's distrust didn't come from ancient rancor; his controlled logic guided his feelings, and logic dictated no prejudices but raw facts. A sentient mind couldn't assimilate drastic changes in short lapses of time, no matter how many mistakes were realized and regretted.

Of course, Prowl would have thought twice before making public a different opinion on a matter in which Optimus Prime had already come to a resolution. The last thing the Autobot army needed was an inner fracture, and Thundercracker's issue had become a time bomb walking along a very thin line. Sooner or later, the fog of novelty would dissipate and the balance would be regained, but the question remained: would it gently assimilate the Decepticon deserter, or would it finish him as viciously as Thundercracker himself had finished Primus knew how many innocent lives?

But as he reached his destination, Prowl couldn't help but question himself. It felt somehow unfair to maintain a millenary dislike toward the mech involved in the scene before his optics.

* * *

"No, no, no, it wasn't like this…" Bumblebee said, half prostrated on the ground and kicking the air. "You lifted your leg higher, right? Otherwise you couldn't have hit Skydive's knee so accurately… Where did you learn this move, anyway? In the Military Academy?"

From his spot, leaning at the entrance of the Ark and with his arms folded across his chest, Thundercracker slightly denied the remark with his head. "Fighting dirty is not the kind of thing you learn in a Military Academy, Autobot."

The curious expressions of Carly and Spike added to Bumblebee's questioning stare, awkwardly trapping the former Decepticon Seeker.

"Eh… what I mean is that that move was nothing but a rash, street fighting tactic. I didn't think your comrade would be waiting for something like that, so I took the risk."

"Well, it was really amazing," Bumblebee said. "Would you mind teaching me a couple of moves of that sort?"

Thundercracker's optics blinked in confusion. "What?"

Bumblebee grinned. "I would like to learn that kind of street fighting… I'm sure it could come in handy. I'm not the best mech when it comes to hand to hand combat, so I could use some extra training. Please, Thundercracker…"

Thundercracker frowned. Teaching an Autobot techniques to fight his former teammates? The idea was pretty bizarre, but not something to be completely discarded. He had spent thousands of vorns fighting side by side with those Decepticons, and none of them had moved a finger for him during his lynching, except to punish him, of course. The image of the yellow Autobot runt giving a little humiliating surprise to some of his ex comrades in arms was suddenly very tempting.

He made up his mind and pushed himself off the wall he was leaning on. "Attack me."

"Eh… just like that?" Bumblebee asked, confused.

"Do it. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Bumblebee smirked and pounced at Thundercracker with the same amounts of strength and enthusiasm. The Seeker didn't make any movement, not until the last moment. Honouring the fame of his kind, he turned around suddenly, half-leaned on the ground and tackled Bumblebee with a mild kick, making him lose his balance. The stunt would have ended with Bumblebee falling heavily to the ground if Thundercracker himself hadn't caught him.

"Whoa!" Bumblebee said. "I knew that was coming but I couldn't stop it!"

"The secret relies on the rotation of your body, more than the kick. Now try it yourself."

"Huh… But you're kind of… taller than me."

"It works better on bigger rivals."

"Okay then! Bring it on, TC! Let's see if I can make you eat some dust!"

Thundercracker threw a powerful punch toward Bumblebee's face. The Autobot tried to mimic what he had seen before, but his movement was easily avoided by the Decepticon, who stopped his attack mechano millimeters from impacting his target.

"You have to be faster than that," Thundercracker said. "Do it again."

The peculiar lesson continued to the sound of cheers from both Carly and Spike. Finally, Bumblebee managed to trip Thundercracker, forcing him to lean on the wall to avoid falling.

"That was much better," the Seeker said, shaking off the dust from his frame.

Bumblebee clapped his hands. "Yes! I can't wait to use these moves in a real fight."

Spike grinned. "Just remember that real enemies fight back, Bee."

In that moment, Thundercracker perceived the slight movement coming from the shadows. One astro klik later, the Autobot Second in Command exited the Ark and joined the small group.

"Oh, hey Prowl!" Carly greeted him. "When did you get back from Cybertron?"

"When will Optimus and the others return?" Spike asked.

Prowl nodded his head slightly in greeting. "Last solar cycle, Carly. As for Optimus' return, you'll be notified about it shortly. Bumblebee, I don't need to check the assignment rosters to realize you are supposed to be on monitor duty with Inferno."

Bumblebee scratched his head. "Er… yeah, I just took a little break… And heh, what better way to spend the time than learning some new ways to kick Decepticreeps, right?"

"Just return to your duties at once," Prowl said, turning to face the Seeker standing before him. "Thundercracker, a word."

Thundercracker nodded and followed Prowl inside the base. That Autobot reminded him so much of Shockwave. He wondered if perhaps they had shared the same assembly line…

They walked in silence. Prowl didn't use his vocalizer again until they arrived at the War Room and the door closed behind them. "Optimus Prime has ordered me to update you on the current situation on Cybertron. The information you are about to receive is classified. Your discretion is expected."

"Of course."

A big hologram was displayed over the table. Thundercracker immediately recognized the spots highlighted in the grid.

"I'm sending you a codified pulsewave with all the details you need to know. The information you provided us turned out to be accurate," Prowl continued. "Important advances have been made and we are in position to expect the fall of Polyhex soon, a pivotal city-state as you know."

Thundercracker nodded as he locked the pulsewave received into the privacy of his data banks. "No wonder Megatron and half of his elite forces returned to Cybertron…"

Prowl looked at Thundercracker with suspicion. "How did you know that?"

"Simple logic. I'm very aware of the value of the intel I gave you. Megatron is not going to stand arms-folded while the stronghold of the Decepticon Empire is at risk."

His arguments had been very convincing, but the doubt in Prowl's optics was easy to read.

"You don't trust me," Thundercracker said.

Prowl turned the hologram projector off before replying. "Once I asked you about your Autobot origins, Thundercracker. If I remember correctly, your answers were guided by irony and anger."

"It's difficult to have any other guides when you're chained inside an enemy cell with no immediate future other than the ultimate shutdown."

"Still, you addressed me as you would have done a hypocrite that day, although your words were more… livid than that."

Thundercracker frowned. Just where did that Autobot want to get?

"As far as I remember, you didn't exactly hide your intentions to blackmail me, Prowl."

Prowl shook his head slowly. "Blackmail is not a word that barely resembles my primary objective back then."

"Formalities aside, you wanted information."

"A petition you refused, despite the fact that you were facing the risk of termination. And now you are willingly providing that same information, just some deca-cycles after that incident. I would say that distrust is a logical reaction."

Thundercracker couldn't help but admire Prowl's intelligence and loyalty to his faction. Unlike the rest of the Autobots, his instinctive dislike toward him didn't come from personal issues.

"Your reaction is logical indeed," the Seeker said after a pause. "And I'm afraid I have nothing to say in my defense, nothing that can be measured and calculated, at least. The mech that you saw in that cell is not the same one that is standing before you right now. Aside from that, any reason I could give you would be redundant."

A very scrutinizing stare was Prowl's response. For a moment, Thundercracker felt as if he was being stripped of the fragile layers of his conscience, one by one. Frag… perhaps Prowl was not the toughest Autobot, but he was imposing in his own way.

That's why it was surprising when Prowl dropped his formality and, for once, became personal. "I'm no one to judge you, Thundercracker. I may not accept your reasons as the truth, but I don't call them lies either. I just have one question for you."

"Ask."

"You claim to have deserted the Decepticons, to have renounced everything you were before. Why, then, do you keep carrying Megatron's badge?"

Thundercracker followed the direction that Prowl's finger was pointing. He found his wings, erect and proud, wearing without shame the Decepticon insignia.

He averted his glance before replying. "These insignias have been part of me almost as long as my wings. They were forged by Megatron himself. There was no ceremony, no demagogic words... I received them with pain and with the oath of my undying allegiance. As a deserter, I can deny the cause I defended for so many vorns, but I can't erase a part of me as important as these insignias until confusion leaves my spark."

"It's not my right to question your doubts. Know that my opinion of you hasn't changed, but I sincerely hope you are speaking the truth," Prowl said, opening the door of the War Room.

"Prowl…"

The Autobot Second in Command stopped under the threshold. "Is there something you want?"

"There is. A request, out of place perhaps, but I would really appreciate it if you'd share some information with me."

"What kind of information?"

"The human settlement… the one my former squad and I attacked the night I arrived here… Have you kept it under surveillance?"

Prowl seemed intrigued. "Why do you ask that?"

"I suspect those humans have not yet seen the last of that Decepticon offensive. I didn't give it importance in the beginning, but recent events indicate otherwise."

"Asking about such thing is not your place, indeed, but since you were one of the perpetrators of the destruction of that human settlement, I think you deserve to know. Yes, we are keeping an optic on it, especially since our satellites reported Decepticon sightings in the area."

"_What?_ Why wasn't I informed about this? That useless carnage wasn't casual; it was Starscream's insane way of teaching me a lesson. I am responsible for every human terminated that night, as I will be for any future fatality."

"I will not discuss the brutality of the Decepticons ways with you because you know them much better than I. You may be right about your responsibility for those events, but putting the blame on your shoulders is completely useless. If you want information, here you have it. Prime instructed the Protectobots to keep the zone under regular surveillance, especially after the human military base stationed in the area was officially removed. Besides that, Hoist and Grapple are currently stationed in the area, working in cooperation with the humans and helping them to rebuild their destroyed dwellings."

Thundercracker straightened his stance, feeling for the first time since his desertion something resembling military discipline. "Permission requested to assist the Protectobots in guarding the zone."

"Denied," Prowl stated coldly.

"What?" Thundercracker spat, breaking the military protocol as easily as he had ignited it. "Do you intend to keep me grounded here? I could be useful there and you know it! Are you afraid I'm going to fulfill your fears of betrayal?"

Prowl didn't seem impressed by Thundercracker's sudden outburst. "Allowing rage to cloud your reasoning is not exactly a good way to maintain the change you claim is happening in your personality component. Despite what you think, I have no intention of keeping you grounded, even less restraining your freedom because of my own opinions. Staying inside the Ark is safer for you, as recent encounters with your former comrades in arms have proven."

"What about the safety of those humans?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the safety of the inhabitants of this planet has never been among your priorities."

The slagging Autobot… what did he know about Thundercracker's priorities? The Seeker made a real effort to avoid punching him. "I don't approve of the deactivation of innocents, Prowl, I never have. And you are right, maybe protecting these little puddles of nucleoplasm is not my concern, but I thought it was yours. As far as I remember, one of the top priorities of your faction is to save lives, especially the lives of the foreign species dragged into our war."

Now Prowl had his full attention focused on Thundercracker. If a challenge had just been made, the Autobot wasn't one to retreat. "It is, indeed."

"Then you should pay attention to what I'm saying. Time is running by, and those humans may be living their last breems. The Decepticons have targeted that location and will finish what they started! Send me there. As you said, I know the ways of my former comrades, and I'm completely certain that hostile actions are to be expected."

Thundercracker could taste success. Prowl was definitely losing his stoic stance.

"Your words come easy, Thundercracker, as they would do from any mech who had lived his whole life on the side that carries the sword. Saving lives is our priority, indeed, but unfortunately we can't save them all. I need all the resources available focused on the offensive we are about to undertake on Cybertron. If the Decepticons decide to engage in any kind of retaliation on Earth, I'm afraid our response won't be the one they would expect. If the humans of that settlement become casualties it would be a shame, but in the end they are affordable loses."

"Affordable loses? Harsh words coming from your vocalizer, Prowl. You would be surprised by the resemblance you have with some of my former comrades."

Bait taken. Prowl was definitely annoyed now. "Spare me your malicious insinuations. For a moment, I had forgotten I was talking to a Decepticon."

"Not all Decepticons are the same, Prowl. But now that we have dropped the masks, would you mind reconsidering? You could get rid of me in an astro second. Just say the word."

Prowl remained silent for a moment. When he turned around and faced the corridor outside, he seemed anxious to end the conversation. "Your stubbornness is annoying, but go, if you must. But know that if you get yourself in trouble, there is very little that I can do for you."

Thundercracker smirked. He left the room and headed toward the entrance of the Ark, performing a quick scan of the status of his weapons.

He was in the middle of the process when Prowl's voice could be heard behind him again.

"And Thundercracker?"

The Seeker stopped and turned around. "What now?"

"Keep those humans safe."

Thundercracker nodded.

The Autobots used to say that Prowl was a white and black mech. Suddenly, Thundercracker had his doubts about that.

_To be continued._

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_I found myself recently very interested in Prowl, especially after reading a very interesting take on him that the ongoing IDW comics provided._

_Thank you very much for all your support. I always love to receive your comments and suggestions :o)_


	31. Countdown to déjà vu

_After writing this chapter at least three times – and erasing them all – I finally came up with the version that convinced me the most. I don't know why this chapter in particular turned out to be so hard, considering that I usually write my updates in just a couple of hours. It also ended being longer than I had intended, but dividing it in two parts just didn't seem right._

_Anyway, I hope you will enjoy all the events that will happen in the next few lines._

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**Chapter 31**

**Countdown to déjà vu**

_Déjà vu…_

Once again, the accursed human term… Why the slag it was becoming so recurrent in his life was something that Thundercracker certainly would have liked to know.

He knew he should have had other things on his mind as he was being carried by his arms and legs through countless narrow corridors. He could attempt something to defend himself, rely on his arm mounted canons… but what was the point? It hadn't worked the first time and it certainly wouldn't work this time; it didn't matter that his captors' identity was different. The thin line between badges was so blurry in the end.

Perhaps everything he had done had been useless.

Now that was a waste.

* * *

_Two days ago._

Hope was a feeling Thundercracker knew well, even though it had been eons since the last time it had warmed his processor.

The other feeling, though, was a very regular visitor in his spark. _Guilt… _an old acquaintance of his, present more than ever in that moment in which he contemplated the damage for which he was responsible.

But who was innocent, anyway?

Megatron had stated many times how weak, corrupt and despicable humans were, but Thundercracker had his doubts now.

He had spent the last five solar cycles watching an entire community rebuilding their shattered town, and in such short amount of time he had been forced to accept that he had some sort of admiration for those creatures. They worked side by side, as one, doing their best to erase the traces of a destruction they didn't deserve. Certainly the memory of the carnage brought on them only because of Starscream's caprices would remain with them forever.

When he first heard the sound of the rotors he chose to ignore them, but when the annoying symphony made its destination clear, he forced himself to acknowledge it. Thundercracker covered his optics, not pleased by the disruption of the nocturnal peace and certainly not by the leaves that dirtied the usual shine of his frame.

The Protectobot Blades transformed to his bipedal form and landed at the top of the hill. "Did you finish playing with your little toy, Thundercracker? Grapple and Hoist could use your help down there. Master builders they may be, but an extra pair of hands is always needed."

The unfriendly grimace on the Autobot's face was obvious, so Thundercracker didn't see any reason to avoid responding to him in the same way. "I'm not here for construction purposes, not of the domestic kind, at least."

Blades walked toward the tall, thin metallic structure before him and patted it. "No, you are here for construction purposes of the weird kind… What the slag did you say this nonsense was? It looks like one of those things the humans use for their sports games. Are you planning to kick a field goal through here, or just an extra point?"

Thundercracker repressed the desire to tell Blades just what exactly he wanted to kick. "The details of this _nonsense_ were given to your team leader earlier. It's not my problem if you didn't bother studying them."

"Ah, I read them alright, but I found them very boring. I mean, do you really expect that this slag of yours will keep the Decepticons away?"

"It will keep the Seekers away," Thundercracker said bluntly, feeling offended.

"Well, it's not working very well so far, is it? I'm seeing one of those flying pests right in front of me."

Thundercracker grimaced. "Is challenging my patience the reason of your presence here or did Prowl send you to keep an optic on me?"

Blades smirked. "Prowl told me to help you patrol the area, which I have been doing for the last three days. Then I said to myself: hey, why not check what our favorite Decepticon deserter is up to, right?"

"Suit yourself. As your sharpness probably showed you, I'm very busy plotting some hidden agendas here, all of them easily qualifying as evil."

As predicted, Blades didn't like irony unless it came from himself. "Hey! Easy with that nasty 'Con attitude of yours… unless you wanna have a date with my rotors, of course."

That sounded so much like what Vortex would have said… The memory of what the Combaticon had done to Thundercracker certainly didn't help to ease the Seeker's mood. "You mean before or after I stick them up your exhaust?"

"Why you—" Blades snapped as he pounced at Thundercracker, who was expecting the attack and simply grabbed the Protectobot by the waist and threw him toward his little invention. Blades hit it with mild force, but the electrical discharge that shook him made him fall to the ground, much more astonished than hurt.

"Aaaaah! What the slag did you do to me?"

Thundercracker calmly offered his hand to the fallen. "Actually, it was you who did something. The device extracted some of your energy and projected it. Thank you for your generous donation of electrons, by the way."

"E-electrons…?" Blades stuttered as he accepted the helping hand and returned to a standing position.

"Yes. Thanks to them, the air is ionized now. I wouldn't dare to fly in this area if I were you, unless you want to crash painfully, of course."

"Oh… I see it now. So this is your anti-Seeker device? Very clever."

"It is, actually, Grapple's anti-Seeker device. I gave him the idea and he constructed it in less than two cycles. Unfortunately, it's only a temporary measure, and very limited concerning range. The little amount of energy you provided was enough to ionize the closest aerial space, but the rest of it continues to be a playground for any Decepticon who chooses to use this human settlement to practice his aim."

"So we need a bigger electrical field, and I suppose you have an idea as to how to get it."

Thundercracker only smirked.

* * *

Thundercracker slowly changed the weight of his body from one leg to the other one, the unmistakable signal of his annoyance. Despite being practically useless against him, he didn't enjoy having a dozen weapons pointing at him.

"Look Sergeant, it's not that complicated," Hoist was saying, kneeling before a human standing at the entrance of the white building, one of the few ones that remained undamaged. "All that we are requesting is that your forces guide the population of this settlement to a safe place. We have word that there is a high possibility of a Decepticon attack tonight, and we need clearance in order to fight them off."

"I can understand that," the middle aged man said, addressing Hoist but never taking his gaze off Thundercracker. "But _he _is one of the monsters who attacked this village and, as chief of police in this town, it's my duty to arrest him."

"Arrest him? Ummh, I think that would be kind of complicated… mostly because a dimension matter – I don't think you have a cell that suits him – but what you need to know is that he's not a Decepticon anymore. He's on our side now."

"With all due respect, mister Hoist, I'm afraid we have different opinions about what side he is on. This robot and his friends practically destroyed this town and killed several of its inhabitants. Even though the Army gave you authorization to be here and washed their hands of it, the safety of this place is my responsibility, and thus it is my responsibility to take this robot into custody."

_Take him into custody? A small platoon of human law enforcers?_ Thundercracker would like to see that…

"Please contact your commanding officer," Hoist insisted, looking very uncomfortable in a mediator role that certainly wasn't his specialty. "I'm sure that mine already took the measures needed in order to resolve any kind of confusion regarding the presence of Thundercracker here. Otherwise this place would be full of human soldiers, don't you agree? Like myself and the rest of my fellow Autobots, Thundercracker is here only to help."

Thundercracker frowned when two annoying red dots positioned right in his optics. He threw an angry glance to the two snipers half hidden at the top of the building. The fact that more and more citizens were approaching to contemplate his monstrosity didn't help.

"Huh, just let me call Prowl and…" Hoist continued, awkwardly tapping his comm link.

"_What's the use?"_ Thundercracker suddenly said in Cybertronian, his waning patience agonizing. "_These creatures are stubborn and oblivious to reasoning. Let them talk any slag they want about me, just make sure to secure them before the Decepticons attack, or I swear by the Primary Program I will lock them in the most rusted container I can find and I will purposely erase its location from my data banks."_

At the sound of his deep voice, all the policemen straightened their positions, their guns aiming at Thundercracker's head and chest.

"Don't you move an inch, Decepticon!" the Sergeant shouted, his gun trembling slightly as he pointed it toward the Seeker. "You may be a ruthless fucker, but we are very capable of taking you down!"

"Take me down?" Thundercracker retorted in perfect English, disgusted by the vulgar insult he had just received. "I'll tell you about taking down, flesh creature. In a matter of minutes, this settlement you claim to defend will be attacked by the same Decepticons that reduced it to ruins before."

"And that includes you, I suppose? You were with them last time, remember? Besides, how can you be so certain about that attack?"

Thundercracker narrowed his optics before turning to Hoist and continuing to talk in Cybertronian again.

"_I refuse to degrade myself by giving explanations to these flesh bags. Can I count on your assistance or not, Hoist?"_

Hoist looked at the Sergeant with uneasiness before facing Thundercracker. _"You can't blame them. You did take part in the destruction of their homes after all… As for the attack you assure will happen, I honestly believed you were paranoid, but what this human says has a lot of sense…"_

Thundercracker rolled his optics. _"Despite my recent reputation, I am not a traitor. I know how my former comrades function and I know that once they target a zone, they will only leave when nothing is left standing. And the reason why I know they will attack tonight is very simple: because now they know I'm here. I made sure to let them know, the difference is that now we will be prepared."_

"_W-what? Are you saying that you used yourself as bait, and not only that but you are actually endangering these humans?"_

"_Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, but before you add your gun to the ones of these humans listen to me. Starscream was going to attack this place sooner or later. You can call it his way of spending his free time now that he has been left in charge of the Decepticon forces on Earth, or you can see it as his twisted way of punishing me."_

"_But if he's so determined to do this, do you really believe you can stop him?"_

"_I believe we have a very good chance, yes. But if my original plan is not enough, I have something a little more… drastic in mind."_

"_Drastic?"_

"You'll do well by ceasing your screechy discussion," the human Sergeant snapped. "Mister Hoist, we are arresting this Decepticon and that's final!"

"Please accept my apologies, Sergeant," Hoist said in terrestrial language, turning to face the human. "But we have strong reasons to believe that this settlement will be under attack in a matter of minutes. Is there any way you could gather the inhabitants in a secure place whilst we take care of the situation?"

"The only thing I'll do is lock up that murderer," the man shouted. "Did you hear me, Decepticon? Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head. I'm authorized to use deadly force and trust me when I say I will!"

Deadly force? With those toy guns? Was that human joking? Was Thundercracker supposed to laugh? As for the surrendering position the human was suggesting, Thundercracker quickly discarded it. Getting on his knees to give himself up was something he wasn't willing to do twice in his life.

However, he immediately understood how annoying those toy guns were, when one of their tiny bullets ricocheted on his cockpit. More shots followed the first one, and soon a dozen toy guns were shooting point blank at him, his aggressors ignoring the frantic complaints of Hoist.

Thundercracker put one hand before his optics and retreated a step. That ridiculous attack was surprisingly hurting him… unable to damage him, but the tiny, burning shots were causing him pain… The slagging flesh creatures… if a monster was what they wanted…

But the attack stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Thundercracker uncovered his optics, fixating them on one lonely figure that attracted his sensors like a magnet.

He had seen that creature before… covered with blood, the fiber of her head untidy, the garments that covered her body ruined, her wounded arms protecting the life she was carrying inside her stomach… The human female he had saved, the one that had started everything. She looked so different now, but the effect was the same. Thundercracker averted his glance immediately, guilt scorching every single circuit of his body with devastating strength, a defective monster, a fallen angel…

_Angel_… yes, that's what she had called him once, at least that was what the Autobot female pet had told him. _Angel_… there it was again, on that foreign mouth.

Thundercracker couldn't understand what she was saying. It was as if that terrestrial language had erased from his memory banks. But he could see she was defending him, he could see the gratitude in her eyes… And he felt miserable.

When she stared directly at him, Thundercracker's memory banks rearranged inside his head, almost painfully. The human female was talking to the Sergeant, but he knew she was really addressing him.

"He is the one… my son lives because of him."

And then her tears came… and they were too much for Thundercracker to handle. He was completely speechless, internally wishing that the humans would start firing at him again.

Fortunately, salvation came in the shape of a certain loud mouthed braggart. The already familiar sound of rotors reached its highest level as Blades positioned over the Transformers and the small crowd of policemen and civilians.

"He's one of us," Hoist hurried to inform the Sergeant when he noticed some of the human policemen aiming their guns at the newcomer. "Denomination Blades; he belongs to the Autobot subgroup of the Protectobots… I'm sure my commanding officer informed you about him."

Blades transformed and landed on his two feet before the Sergeant had a chance to reply. "Leave the introductions for later, Hoist. We have a situation."

"What is it?"

Blades pointed a finger toward Thundercracker. "It seems that Mr. Punk Ass Decepticon was right. There is a formation of Seekers approaching from the East."

"How many of them?" Thundercracker asked, honestly relieved by the news.

"Three. I detected Dirge, Thrust and Ramjet, but I wouldn't be surprised if they have company."

Thundercracker looked to the east, using his own scanners. "They have company, indeed. As always, Starscream is sending the Coneheads as cannon fodder. Hoist, contact Grapple and tell him to wait for me at the meeting point. I will give him enough time to prepare the ionizer. Blades and I will distract the Decepticons."

Blades didn't wait to retort. "Who died and named you leader-? Bah, never mind. I guess I'll do what you say. You know those slaggers better than I do, right?"

Hoist nodded and turned around. "Can I count on your assistance now, Sergeant?"

The middle aged man had his stare fixed on Thundercracker when he replied. "You can. And as for _you, _Decepticon, you better be honest about all this, or I'll personally see you dismantled, screw by screw."

Thundercracker repressed his need to shake his head at that last remark, but he could understand that flesh creature's attitude. He signaled Blades to follow him and took to the sky, wishing he could make Starscream lose one or two screws himself.

The last thing he saw before transforming were the shining, grey eyes of the human female, looking at him with crystalline hope. Perhaps that's what angels were made of.

* * *

Ten miles. Less than ten terrestrial miles separated the hunter from his prey. Starscream zoomed in his optical sensors toward the distant human dwellings, most of them in the process of being rebuilt. How many humans were there, cowering, begging their gods to let them live another day?

He transformed to his bipedal mode in mid air and stopped his advance. The Coneheads passed him and continued their trajectory, missile launchers vibrating in anticipation.

Starscream activated his comm link and opened a private channel. "Maintain your position and wait for my command. I'm guessing we will be having some turbulence tonight."

He closed the channel and subspaced a small probe, programming it to follow the Coneheads. The little sphere hadn't flown half a mechano mile yet when it transmitted the results Starscream was expecting.

"Ions… Well done, Thundercracker. I admit you surprised me this time," he said to himself. "It's such a shame for you that I'm not a brainless dolt."

Starscream wasn't surprised when he saw the shining light in the distance. Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust were down… and without putting up any fight. What a waste of fuel those three were… Starscream frowned. When would the day come when he would be blessed with mildly intelligent subordinates?

He intentionally lost most of his altitude and continued flying in robot mode. He saw the ionizer machine shortly after, once again admiring how resourceful his ex wingmate had turned out to be, using his own sonic booms to power the machine. But of course, if there was someone who dominated the thunder, it was that insufferable moron.

Starscream smirked when he detected the energy signature he was looking for, already waiting for him in the place of his petty victory. This would certainly prove to be interesting.

* * *

Starscream ignored the two Autobots pointing their weapons at him. He continued flying calmly in robot mode, carefully sorting through the remaining ionized atmosphere. When he descended, the first thing he did was glance with disdain at the human settlement located not far behind Thundercracker.

"Why do you care about these creatures so much?"

"That is an answer you would be completely unable to understand, Starscream."

Starscream sneered. "Really? And why would that be?"

"Simple. Because you are completely slaggin' insane!"

"Am I talking to you, Autobot? I don't think so. So you better shut it, or those stupid words will be the last ones your filthy vocalizer will ever pronounce."

"How would you like to be gutted by my rotors, you afthole? Come on!" Blades took a threatening step toward Starscream, but Thundercracker grabbed his arm and stopped his advance.

Starscream smirked. "Amusing. It's nice to see you have your new Autobot pets well trained, Thundercracker. Oh wait, or is it the other way around? I can see your leash from here, it looks fine. After all, you never were anything but a lackey."

Thundercracker smiled slightly and shook his head, taking a casual glance at the three Seekers scattered over the hill behind Starscream. "Your insults are useless now. You are defeated, admit it and surrender now that you still have your wings attached."

Starscream looked nonchalantly at the Autobots Blades and Grapple, both aiming their weapons at him. "Defeated? I don't think so. I can't admit any defeat when I haven't fired a single shot yet, or received one… Just because you took down these three junk piles doesn't mean I'm defeated… You should know me better than that, Thundercracker."

"I know you indeed, and I would cut my right wing off if you don't have a last hidden resource."

Starscream smirked. "Heh. How did you know?"

Thundercracker didn't react when a dazzling light behind him illuminated the smirking figure of Starscream ahead of him. He didn't seem to be surprised either when an arm trapped him roughly by the neck and the fine cannon of an incendiary gun leveled beside his head.

"Well, hello Skywarp. What took you so long?" Starscream said.

As one, Blades and Grapple pointed their guns at the newcomer.

"Well well, isn't this touching?" Starscream continued, sitting comfortably on a boulder as if the Autobots were not there. "Our trine reunited again… Just like the old times. What was that old saying we used to say when we were in the Military Academy? Oh yeah, _once a wingmate…"_

"I've had enough of your maniacal rambling, Decepticon," Blades growled, returning the aim of his weapon toward Starscream. "You will tell your wingboy to lower his weapons right now, or filthy 'Con vital fluid will start running."

"Mmh, the vital fluid of Thundercracker, you mean? You should have thought twice before admitting someone like him into your nest, Autobot. Did you know he is one of the biggest ground-pounder haters I've ever met? Attach some wings to yourself if you want to have something remotely resembling respect from him, otherwise he will _always _look at you the same way he would look a bug. Mmmh, I guess his own ground-pounder origins traumatized him more than I thought."

"The only second thought I'm having is about where to shoot you, Deceptiscum!"

"Lower your weapon, Blades," Thundercracker said. "If you engage with him the humans will be the ones to pay the consequences."

Blades hesitated. A cold gust of wind seemed to remark on Thundercracker's words.

Starscream allowed his glance to travel around the human settlement that was so close to them. "You should listen to him, Autobot. If anything, Thundercracker was always prudent, I give him that… Hey, TC? Isn't that building the one you took down the last time we were here? I admit I'm surprised to see how fast these flesh bags are advancing in its reconstruction… Such a shame for them it won't last."

Thundercracker's optics narrowed. "This settlement is under my protection, Starscream. I won't let you or anybody else threaten the lives of these humans again."

Starscream burst into laughter. "Oh guilt, I see your powers and I venerate you! It pains me so much that you were never able to touch me with your mantle… You know, I always thought Skywarp was the prankster of our trine, Thundercracker. How mistaken I was…"

"I will tell you about mistakes," Thundercracker said. "Coming here was a mistake. But unlike you, I'm willing to grant you mercy. Leave now. This is not the time or the place to solve what we have pending."

Starscream's face seemed to darken. His mouth twisted, revealing the grimace that he only displayed when he was furious. "You… granting _me_ mercy? Brave words for a mech who is about to be terminated. You are not the one with the upper hand here, you traitor!"

As if following a mental command, Skywarp tightened his grip on Thundercracker's neck, the canon of his arm-mounted incendiary gun forcing his former wingmate to tilt his head to one side. The face of the black Seeker was hard and cold, stripped of any emotion other than hate.

"You could have me killed right now, indeed," Thundercracker said calmly, addressing Starscream as if Skywarp were not present at all. "But before my body hits the ground, yours would be on its way to keep me company."

Starscream smirked. "And that's exactly the reason why you keep functioning, TC… Such a shame we are both agnostic, otherwise we may have the vain hope of solving our little quarrel in the afterworld. What is that nonsense the Autobots say about becoming one with the Matrix?"

"The Matrix wouldn't accept a piece of scum like you," Grapple said.

"What did I say about pets intervening in conversations that don't concern them, Autofool? So, Thundercracker, what do you suggest now? As you probably noticed, Skywarp here is very, _very, _upset… I can't guarantee how much longer he will be able to restrain himself from blowing your head off. And you can be certain that he will not hesitate to do so."

The tension blew colder than the wind. Thundercracker remained motionless as he assessed the words he had heard, too heavy for him, but certainly forcing him to contemplate a reality he had been denying.

"As I said, leave," Thundercracker finally spoke. "Come here again and you will regret it."

"Mmh, to this human settlement you mean? Alright, who needs it? I can destroy any human settlement I want. Will you be there to protect them all, Thundercracker?"

Once again, Thundercracker was suddenly speechless. The tension thickened when he addressed Starscream as if nobody else was present.

"What do I suggest, you asked?" he said calmly. "Very simple; the one thing that can solve this once and for all, except that this time you won't have a bunch of cowards backing you up."

Starscream's smirk faded. He seemed to consider Thundercracker's words before signaling Skywarp to retreat. The black Seeker reluctantly did so, lowering his arm-cannons but keeping a stare full of hate fixated on his former friend.

Thundercracker advanced toward Starscream and stopped just a couple of mechano meters away from him. Then he raised his arm, a martial movement that brought memories to every Cybertronian present. He kept his arm raised for some astro seconds before brusquely rubbing it against the sharp edge of his wing, slicing his wrist.

Absolute silence took over as purple energon started to flow from Thundercracker's injured servo. The next sound that could be heard was the one the vital fuel made when it spattered against Starscream's face plates, making the Seeker flinch.

Thundercracker lowered his arm and waited. Drops of energon continued slipping through his fingers and falling to the ground.

Slowly, Starscream raised his own arm and cleaned his cheek with the back of his hand. "So we are back at where we started, then? Very well, Thundercracker. If you are so looking forward to dying, I will please you. We will fight till death, as the ancient Cybertronian laws dictate. Name the cycle and the place. I'll snatch the spark out of your chest anytime and anywhere."

"Cybertron," Thundercracker replied immediately. "The underground coliseum of Kaon, in ten solar cycles from now."

Starscream smirked. "My, my… who would have thought you were such a sentimental fool? But alright, Kaon it will be; the perfect place for a traitor to be terminated."

Now it was Thundercracker who smirked. "You said it yourself, Starscream."

Both Seekers contemplated each other, seeing nothing but an enemy whose only fate was total deactivation.

"Skywarp!" Starscream suddenly snapped. "Dirge is beginning to come back on line. Help him with the other two morons and let's return to the Nemesis. It suddenly started to stink too much like Autobot around here and I'm feeling more and more disgusted."

Skywarp hesitated, but obeyed. It was easy to see the murdering intentions shining in his optics, intense and unsatisfied, but Thundercracker didn't dedicate a single glance to him.

"Starscream…"

Starscream turned around and faced Thundercracker one last time.

"You won't attack this human settlement again, or any other for the matter. Do I make myself clear?"

Starscream smirked. "I will attack any settlement I please, but don't worry; I'll do it only after your deactivation."

That's all Starscream said before transforming and allowing the night to embrace him.

* * *

_Today._

Coming back to the present was always a painful experience, especially if the current situation was as degrading and potentially deadly as the one Thundercracker was living.

He attempted to speak again, but the hand firmly positioned over his mouth prevented him from forming any words. All that came out from his vocalizer was a frustrated growl.

Within the darkness he could recognize the figure of Sideswipe. Of course, if it was about beating the slag out of him, that annoying Autobot clown had to be involved… As for the others, sharp edges announced an Aerialbot; Skydive… already repaired and willing to have his vengeance. He couldn't get a clear image of the other two, firmly grabbing his legs. But in the end it didn't matter. Thundercracker was officially doomed.

But most of all, he felt disappointed, and somewhat sad, as embarrassing as it was to admit it. He had hoped that he had gained some respect among the Autobots, at least enough for them to grant him the right to keep functioning in peace. He had thought that the episode that had happened just two solar cycles ago in the human settlement would help him concerning trust issues, but as he was on his way to being lynched he realized just how useless everything had been.

The journey to wherever his fate awaited seemed never-ending. Finally, his captors entered a wide room and Thundercracker's optics were dazzled by very intense lights that momentarily blinded him.

Thundercracker was released almost at the same time his optics adjusted to the new light conditions. He fidgeted slightly when he found himself before a smirking Sunstreaker, surrounded by certainly every Autobot available in the Ark at that moment.

Great, so it would be a general beating… It was better that way. At least his deactivation would be quick.

But the expected first punch never arrived, neither did the first mocking or hateful remark.

"Seeker Thundercracker, attention!" he heard a voice saying. As confused as he was, it took him a couple of astro seconds to recognize it as Jazz's.

"W-what…" he stammered. "What's this all about?"

"Attention, soldier!" Cliffjumper said, using his hands to make his voice sound deeper.

From behind, Sideswipe pushed him with very little delicacy, forcing him to take a step forward. Thundercracker was close to losing his balance, confused like very few times in his life.

"What's the meaning of this?" he asked, annoyed.

Sunstreaker's hand fell on his shoulder, strongly, but not violently. "The meaning of this is that you are welcome among us, _Thundercraphead… _I mean, Thundercracker."

Sideswipe forced him to turn around and slammed a hand against Thundercracker's cockpit. "Yep, it's official now. From this moment on, you are an honorary Autobot, whether you like it or not, Deceptiscum."

Thundercracker looked astonished at the red, metallic badge now adorning his chest.

"Welcome, Thundercracker!" Bumblebee cheered.

"Welcome!" more than a dozen voices followed.

Thundercracker gaped, unable to say anything. Perhaps somebody had altered his energon again, perhaps he had been deactivated and he was having some bizarre regression before entering the final shutdown… He looked at every one of the faces around him, not finding a single trace of hate or rejection.

"B-but… but… why?" he said when he was finally able to speak.

"We decided you are not such a bad Decepticreep," Ironhide said, smiling.

"Yeah, what the frag," Huffer shrugged his shoulders. "We can always use a flier after all."

Thundercracker couldn't stop staring at everyone, his sanity challenged like never before. "I… I apologize, but I just don't know how to react."

"Smiling would be a good start," Carly said, sitting beside Spike on Ironhide's shoulder.

Thundercracker bowed his head, ashamed of the grin that had started to take shape on his facial features. Almost immediately, a huge frame impacted his and he felt two powerful arms embracing him.

"Me Grimlock says Decepticon not coward. Dinobots accept Decepticon."

Thundercracker repressed a groan of pain as he was crushed by the Dinobot leader, but fortunately other Autobots came to his aid, all eager to shake his hand and palm his shoulders and head.

By then, Thundercracker's smile was very wide. For a moment, he decided to leave his eternal guilt aside and just submerge into that peaceful sensation that suddenly warmed his spark. As for everything else… well, he would have time to think about it later.

_To be continued._

_

* * *

_

_This was an intense chapter to write, and trust me when I say things will get much, _much_, more intense._

_As always, my gratitude goes to iratepirate for beta reading and to all of you who are taking this ride with me. Your comments are very welcome :o)_


	32. Countdown to extinction, part one

"_Oh destiny, how it pleases you to caress a few and molest others. In the mines, we had no idea that destiny must be harnessed, kicked and ridden until it takes you in the right direction. Not just where you want to go, but where you force it."_

_Megatron, IDW's 'Megatron origin, vol. IV'._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 32**

**Countdown to extinction, part one**

Optimus Prime smiled beneath his face mask as the light coming from the screen reflected gently on his features. War had become endless, and Primus knew too hard as well, but it was scenes like the one before his optics that fueled his never-ending optimism.

Prowl was also staring at the recording of the scene of Thundercracker being welcomed by the entire Ark crew, although he kept his enthusiasm, if it existed, considerably lower.

"This has to be the strangest scene I have seen in a long time," Optimus Prime said. "Moments such as this one make me believe that there is still hope left for our kind."

"I agree with you, Prime," Prowl said stoically.

Optimus Prime rotated his chair and stared at his Second in Command. "You may agree, but deep inside you still have your doubts, Prowl. Logic was not built in a single solar cycle, my friend."

"Like everybody else, and as you commanded, I'm willing to give the unpredictable a chance."

Optimus Prime nodded. "Where is Thundercracker now?"

"Teaching combat maneuvers to the Aerialbots, but they should return soon."

"Good. Send Thundercracker to see me as soon as he returns. I want to speak to him."

"He actually anticipated to your orders. When he knew you were returning to Earth today, he requested an audience with you, although public."

Optimus Prime raised an optic. "Public?"

"I suppose it has to do with his duel with Starscream."

"Most likely."

Prowl noticed immediately how Optimus Prime's mood changed. The Autobot Second in Command knew his leader too well not to recognize concern hidden beneath his face mask.

"You don't approve of that duel," Prowl said. It wasn't a question.

Optimus shook his head slightly. "An extreme measure, especially now that we are so close to freeing Polyhex from Decepticon dominion. Whatever the result of that duel will be, it will have important implications in our war."

"Do you think Thundercracker can win?"

Optimus Prime stood from his chair. "Affirmative, he can win. But his rival is one who has never had the slightest respect for honour, and there is no reason to believe he will make an exception this time."

"It will be one against one, but that's as much as we can count on concerning a clean fight. Starscream is treacherous and will certainly resort to cowardly antics. But Thundercracker must know about that much better than us; they were wingmates for thousands of vorns."

"That could be Thundercracker's only advantage during the fight, although Starscream must be thinking the same thing and may try alternative resources. And if we know something about the Decepticons Second in Command, it's that he's never out of dishonorable resources."

Prowl pushed a button and a hologram of a very well known location of the Atlantic Ocean was displayed. "We doubled our surveillance of the Nemesis, but we haven't had any interesting sightings so far, except the one of Starscream himself en route to the Space Bridge. The rest of the Decepticons remaining on Earth have been very quiet for the last three solar cycles."

"They are waiting for the duel," Optimus Prime said to himself.

Prowl nodded. "As we are."

* * *

The double doors of the Space Bridge opened before Starscream. As much as he was used to interdimensional travelling, he really disliked the experience. It had nothing to do with the dizziness and momentary overheating of servo-motors that others associated with it, but Starscream hated, by instinct, everything he couldn't control.

He smirked when he saw Megatron standing beside Shockwave before the main computer of the Command Centre. He also noticed Dirge, Thrust and Blitzwing on the adjacent surveillance stations.

"Well, well, well," he greeted his leader. "It pleases me so much to see you again, Megatron. It's been a while, although the news of your incompetence in containing the Autobots' latest offensive has become quite famous. Not that I'm surprised, of course."

The two Coneheads and the Triplechanger shot a discreet look toward their leader, expecting some kind of irate reaction.

But it didn't happen. On the contrary, Megatron's smirk couldn't have been more full of satisfaction. "As always, your reduced intelligence and your absolute lack of knowledge on military strategy blinds you, Starscream. If you were worthy of your rank, you'd have already noticed that, unlike what the rumors state, I have never been closer to securing Polyhex as our main stronghold and retrieving Iacon from Autobot control."

Starscream widened his optics in surprise. "Iacon? Now that would be something I would consider remarkable… But you can't blame me, Megatron. Whilst you were playing war in here, you left me in charge of hunting an insignificant traitor, not precisely the kind of task in which I can perform at my best."

Megatron glanced at his Second in Command with malicious interest. "A task which you failed, by the way."

"A failure I intend to correct," Starscream hissed immediately, narrowing his optics as well, "in exactly three cycles."

Megatron sat on his throne casually. "Yes, about that… I heard about your little duel. I have to say that even though the idea of children playing gladiators amused me, I'm also disgusted by the image of the fuel of vermin of your sort soiling the place that witnessed the extinguishing of so many sparks, sparks which belonged to _real _warriors."

Starscream frowned. "It won't be my spark that will be terminated in that arena, Megatron. And I couldn't disagree more with what you consider warriors."

"Thundercracker is a warrior, Starscream. You, on the other hand, are yet to prove yourself to me. Time is going by, buffoon. Be strong, if you can afford it, otherwise you will enter that arena only to never leave."

Malice scattered handsomely over Starscream's face plates. "I'm better than strong, Megatron; I'm smart, and I can assure you that I will kill Thundercracker and bring you his remains!"

Megatron nodded slightly. "That's the least I expect from my Second in Command. Betrayal against the Decepticon Empire is the highest crime and must be properly dealt with. Make Thundercracker understand that what he did has an ultimate price."

"You can be sure about that, my leader," Starscream sneered. "I'll shred the traitor to pieces and the entire Autobot army will witness it. I trust you will use the hit to their morale to our advantage."

"Your guess is not misguided," Megatron said, laughing and pushing a button of the computer's console. A three dimensional map of the city state of Iacon was displayed. "I will use your duel with Thundercracker as a distraction. As you know, I have momentarily stopped all hostile actions against the Autobots as a signal of respect to the confrontation, a tacit message that Prime caught well because he did the same thing. But as soon as the duel finishes, I will unleash an offensive action against Iacon that will make our conquest of Polyhex pale in comparison. The Autobots are sentimental; the grief of losing what they already consider one of their own will weaken them."

"Of course," Blitzwing said from his station, "there's also the possibility that Starscream will be the one who'll end up slagged."

Starscream cast a killer glance at the Triplechanger, but Megatron burst into laughter. "A possibility that I have also considered, Blitzwing. I have made the Autobots believe they have the upper hand and are close to taking Polyhex from us. Thundercracker's victory would only increase their blindness and make them over-confident. I'm ready to contain their ultimate attack and turn it against them. They will be so busy gloating over their pitiful triumph that they won't even know what hit them."

"So, no matter the result of the duel, we will win," Dirge said.

Megatron nodded. "Exactly."

Everybody seemed satisfied, except, of course, Starscream. "I'm sorry to spoil all your fun, but I plan to be the winner! Sending Soundwave back to Earth was a wise move, Megatron, but you'd better tell your telepathic drone to not get too comfortable, because the position of Second in Command will _not_ be available."

"Not yet, you mean…" Megatron hissed. "But enough small talk. Come with me, Starscream. I still have things to discuss with you about the strategy we will follow concerning Iacon and its peripheral states."

"After you, my leader," Starscream said with a smirk, although the bow he directed at Megatron almost seemed respectful.

Nobody seemed impressed by the turns and twists in the conversation, even less with watching Megatron and Starscream leave the Command Centre in perfect peace. Every Decepticon knew that those two could switch the lever between anger and complicity in one nano klik, so seeing them agreeing on something was as normal as if they were expressing their differences through violence.

"Dead mech walking," Thrust mocked, once the door closed behind Starscram's back. "Do any of you know how Swindle's bets are going?"

"Talking about ground-pounder's loyalty, the Stunticons and the Combaticons put their energon on Thundercracker," Blitzwing said. "Us fliers, on the other hand, waged for Screamer, as much as we'd love to see him terminated."

Dirge snorted. "Yeah, not to mention that an open position in the Air Commander department would be very welcome… But I agree with you, Blitzwing, Screamer will win this one. How could he not? He always cheats."

The conversation was coldly but effectively interrupted when Shockwave ordered them to return to their duties.

* * *

Silverbolt made a mental note to congratulate Fireflight later. The normally random flier had been in the air for two hours without a collision. Even better, he was actually following a flying course that could have called outstanding. Of course, the practice had been rather simple in Fireflight's case, but Silverbolt could already see glimpses of what he had started to call _The Thundercracker Effect. _It had been a while since Silverbolt had seen his team so focused and excited. They absorbed Thundercracker's aerial experience like the most delicious Energon. Silverbolt had no doubt that very soon Thundercracker would fly as one with his new wingmates.

But, for that, he would have to survive…

Silverbolt immediately reprimanded himself. He didn't consider himself a pessimistic mech, but he couldn't help but fear for Thundercracker's immediate future. Like the rest of the Aerialbots, Silverbolt had already started to consider Thundercracker as one of their own, and thinking that in just three cycles the Seeker would engage in a deadly game in which he would have to terminate or be terminated was very disturbing.

"_See if you can mimic this, TC!" _Skydive gloated as he performed a dangerous maneuver which he had learned from some old Cybertronian Seeker files, all trace of his former hate for the former Decepticon completely vanished.

Thundercracker not only mimicked, but perfected the maneuver, leaving no doubt about his status of an elite flier. Silverbolt felt something wrenching inside him when fatalism returned to him and permeated his spark with fear. When he asked himself if he would be willing to give his life for Thundercracker, he wasn't surprised when the answer was yes.

"_Thundercracker," _he said through his com link. Immediately, Thundercracker descended to his altitude and aligned beside him.

"_About what you told me earlier…" _Silverbolt continued. _"I want you to know that all the Aerialbots will support you, and I'm sure the rest of our comrades will too. If there's one single Autobot in the Ark who doesn't do the same, I swear I'll join the Stunticons."_

"_There's no need to be so dramatic," _Thundercracker said, a hint of amusement in his voice. _"But I thank you for your support, I really do. This is the second time I've done this and I'd be lying if I said I'm not nervous. Besides, the circumstances are radically different."_

"_I'd say so, but this time you'll be among friends."_

"_And I can't tell you how relieving that is."_

"_How are you feeling?" _Silverbolt continued after a silence. _"About your duel, I mean."_

Slingshot answered in Thundercracker's place. _"What do you mean how's he feeling? He will sweep the ground with Starscream's aft plates, that's what he'll do."_

Air Raid leveled on the other side of the Seeker. _"We all are certain about your victory, TC. We are very sorry that Prowl won't allow us to go with you, but when you return from Cybertron, we'll party."_

"_Your trust is greatly appreciated. I'll do my best," _Thundercracker said. Perhaps only Silverbolt noticed the slight shiver in the Seeker's deep voice. It was more than facing death, a possibility that every soldier confronted every time he entered the battlefield. Silverbolt was young and inexperienced, but he understood what a wingmate was. Certainly Thundercracker was being tortured by the fact that in just three days he would have to fight till death with a mech that had been his companion – perhaps his friend – for thousands of vorns.

Fortunately for the morale, Slingshot broke the sudden silence. _"Hey TC, I have always had a question. What's the deal, you know, between Megatron and Starscream?"_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Oh, come on, don't play dumb! You don't owe those slaggers any loyalty anymore. Spill it! Do they shake the berth all the time or what?"_

Thundercracker laughed, a sound that was starting to become frequent. Silverbolt had the feeling that perhaps the Seeker had laughed more among the Autobots in just some solar cycles than in an entire lifetime within the Decepticon ranks.

"_I don't know," _Thundercracker said once he finished laughing. _"If they do, I never saw them."_

"_It's not like they'd do it in public, duh!" _ Fireflight giggled. _"But have you ever caught them looking at each other the way Inferno and Red Alert do?"_

"_Well…"_

"_Leave the cheap gossip for some other time," _Silverbolt said. _"I just received a comm from Prowl. Optimus Prime is waiting for us at the Command Centre, along with the entire crew of the Ark. Remember, Thundercracker, all the Aerialbots are with you."_

Four other voices confirmed their leader's words as Silverbolt himself decreased his speed and placed himself behind Thundercracker.

"_Lead the way, brother," _he said with the same amount of respect he would have used with Optimus Prime.

Thundercracker didn't reply with words, his vocalizer certainly closed by intense emotions. His response came in the language of a flier, a language that the Aerialbots, despite their young age, could perfectly understand. Any observer who had had the fortune of looking at the perfect formation of planes that suddenly took over the sky would have been amazed. A piece of art, a Cybertronian flier would have called them without a doubt.

* * *

"_You are here because you are tired of living like mindless drones. You are here because you have decided to take control of your own destiny. The days in which we were puppets for the Autobot Council are over. For millenniums, we were programmed to listen and to obey; we were deprived of our right to think, but most of all, of the sacred right to decide our own fates. We had no idea that destiny was something to be harnessed, kicked and ridden in the right direction. And what's that right direction, my brethren? Not only the one we want to take, but the one we can force."_

Every Autobot considered Optimus Prime a friend first and a father later, Thundercracker had always had that very clear. He knew any kind of military protocol was unnecessary. Like himself, Optimus Prime had a civilian past. He hadn't been forged to carry a weapon since his creation. It had been his decision. But Thundercracker could have never addressed the heir of the legacy of the Primes with nothing else but the highest respect, so once he was standing before him, the Seeker made a military salute.

Optimus Prime saluted him in the same way, showing his respect for Thundercracker as a warrior. "Greetings, Thundercracker. There are many things that I want to tell you, but since you requested this meeting, please speak first. Our attention is entirely yours."

Thundercracker bowed his head respectfully before looking at every single Autobot present in the Command Centre. "I haven't said much since my arrival here. Words have never been my forte, but today I feel obliged to renounce my selfishness and express my gratitude to each one of you, who opened their doors to me and sheltered me in a moment of great confusion. I feel not only thankful, but in eternal debt. Truth be told, I don't think I would have given any of you the same opportunity if the situation had been reversed."

A murmur of disapproval could be heard as every Autobot present disagreed with Thundercracker's last statement. Old forged mechanisms worked inside the Seeker, making it impossible for him to avoid the very familiar feeling of discomfort. He didn't deserve such support and he knew it.

"I know that for many of you it was a torture to have me here. I understand that and I don't blame you for any grudge held against me. We have a story of war between us, but mostly, a story of hate. It's no secret that I ended many Autobot lives and betrayed every principle that our Cybertronian race holds dear. War can guide a mech toward insanity, but I won't blame war for my mistakes. For every high treason crime I committed I consider myself as the only one responsible, but I speak the truth when I say that I deeply regret every hurt inflicted on you in the past by both my weapons and ambition."

Optimus Prime nodded gravely. "Your words speak for your honour, Thundercracker, and I dare to say I speak for all my Autobots when I say that no resentment is left against you. You have gained our respect, as well as our affection."

Thundercracker's voice trembled slightly when he spoke again. "My creator was an Autobot. It took me fifty thousand vorns to understand it, but I finally realized that my programming is the same as his. I don't deserve to ask you what I'm about to ask next, but given the uncertainty of my immediate future, I dare. So I ask you, Optimus Prime, Supreme Commander of the Autobot Army, and every single one of you, Cybertronians that I have always respected as brave and honourable warriors…"

"_You are here today on your free will to perform the first action of your new existence, free from all slavery. As you accept my badge, you also accept that you are evolved Cybertronians, the kind that sees beyond the walls of conformism and lies. We Decepticons are superior, we are meant to be a difference not only to Cybertron, but to the entire Universe itself, a fate that had not been granted to us by any imaginary superior being, but by our own might. Fate is ours to twist and forge in our image."_

The silence deepened when Thundercracker sank to one knee and bowed his head. "Fifty thousand vorns ago I knelt before Megatron and offered him my undying loyalty, guided by principles that were not mine. Today I kneel before you, Optimus Prime, following the honest desire to correct the error of my ways. If there's place in your spark to trust a traitor like me, I beg you to grant me the opportunity to prove you my worth. Allow me to become an Autobot, Optimus Prime."

The Autobot leader remained motionless for astro seconds that felt like vorns. Not even Ironhide, his closest officer, remembered having seen him so serious in a long time.

"Why, Thundercracker?" he said finally. "Why do you wish to become an Autobot?"

"_I see all of you and I feel pride, but most of all I feel hope. Today I give you my name and my badge. Consider this, the badge with the colour of our vital fuel, as yours, make it the most important part of your identity. From now on, every Cybertronian wearing this badge will be your brother. Embrace him, fight beside him and protect his life the same way you'd protect yours."_

"_Today, we stand proudly and make ours the cause of justice. Today is the day we dedicate ourselves to the protection of the Universe through conquest. We will impose order and peace, but our hands won't hesitate to punish those who oppose our noble mission. Erase our enemies from the face of Cybertron! Today is the day the Autobot Empire falls!"_

Thundercracker lifted his head. "I would lie if I said that I have regenerated myself and that I firmly believe in your cause. I am certain that if I had more time I would eventually reach that place, but I'm afraid that time is nothing I can take for granted. If I die fighting Starscream, I want to do it as an Autobot."

"You won't die, TC!" Sideswipe said.

Air Raid stepped forward. "Of course not, you will make that slag-sucker eat his wings!"

"_Get up, Thundercracker, I acknowledge you as a Decepticon as well as my equal. You will never be on your knees again."_

"Get up, Thundercracker. A mech like you should never be on his knees. You have proved your courage and honour since the very first moment you entered this base, and I feel proud to be the first one to tell you that by accepting you as one of our own, I honour us more than I honour you. You are welcome, Autobot Thundercracker, today and forever, because I know for certain that you will arise victorious in that arena. A mech of your worth and might still has a lot to say concerning the end of this war."

Thundercracker got up. He was immediately surrounded by the overwhelming affection of his new brethren.

"_Decepticons, today we become one!"_

"_Till all are one! Till all are one! Till all are one!"_

The echoes of the past dissipated as Thundercracker was embraced by one Autobot after another. Congratulations, grinning faces, words of courage and comradeship… Thundercracker wondered if he had lived all that before, if that too was another of those now so recurrent moments of déjà-vu…

It didn't take him long to realize that the answer was no. He had definitely not lived anything like that, and his processor had certainly never felt such a wave of intense emotions.

If that was peace, he decided to enjoy it, even if it were as short as a fleeting star.

_To be continued._

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* * *

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_The countdown to the duel has officially begun._

_I included a quote from Megatron at the beginning because it inspired me to write his speech. As you noticed, I also used the title of a very famous G1 episode to name this chapter.  
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_I'm sorry it took me a while to update this story, but next one will come soon, I promise. _

_Many thanks to iratepirate, beta reader and instigator. Gratitude to all of you too for following this story, which has been a real pleasure to write. Please let me know your opinions and how much Energon you are willing to put on TC/Starscream's fight. I love both so much that my fingers are currently hurting as I write a certain scene between them… oh boy._

_Update coming soon.  
_


	33. Countdown to extinction, part two

"_A fair fight is the other guy's problem."_

_Starscream, IDW's 'Megatron origin, vol. IV'._

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**Chapter 33**

**Countdown to extinction, part two**

_Cybertron, City-State of Altihex, forty seven thousand vorns ago._

There was definitely nothing wrong with Skywarp's audios, as the high pitched cries piercing his delicate sensors proved. For a moment, he considered the fate of the struggling female with something resembling pity, but the scene was becoming so frequent and he was so interested in his own pleasure that he just dismissed the feeling.

"Hey!" he yelled through the smoke and debris. "Where are the other femmes? There were supposed to be at least seven in this facility."

Starscream barely looked at him whilst he secured the lavender and gray female scientist with a possessive embrace. "Not anymore, I'm afraid. The upper level collapsed over them. Such a shame… but this one's mine!"

Skywarp kicked the remains of a workbench beside him. "Not fair! I deserve her more than you do! I'm the one who planted the bombs in this facility in the first place!"

Starscream grimaced, his hands already starting to invade the curves of the panicked femme. "Any other teleporter could have done it, Skywarp, and twice as well as you. Stop complaining, I'll let you have her once I'm done. Are you happy now?"

Skywarp frowned and mumbled his frustration with a colorful selection of Cybertronian curses, but he finally sat on a pile of debris. "Just don't break her… I like femmes with all their servos and without dents… And hurry up, Megatron may come and he wouldn't leave anything of her to enjoy..."

But Starscream wasn't listening anymore. He was straddled over the femme and exploring her chest plates. He didn't seem to mind having an audience. Privacy had never meant a slag for Starscream when his pleasure was involved. He made Skywarp feel sick.

But sickness was not what Skywarp was currently feeling. He was exhausted and mildly injured, his frame soiled with dust and with a mixture of his own energon and the vital fluids of who knew how many Cybertronians. All he wanted was one breem of intimacy with a femme. Was that too much to ask? But, as always, Starscream claimed the prize for himself, as if he were some sort of Second in Command to Megatron. _Really, who died and named you the greatest slagger alive, you pit-spawned son of a…_

A powerful engine silenced Skywarp's thoughts and he had to cover his optics to protect them from the torrent of dust that the newcomer produced with his arrival. Thundercracker transformed to his bipedal mode and landed right before Skywarp, although his optics were fixated on the scene taking place at the back of what had been a laboratory just some breems ago.

"Hey TC," Skywarp greeted his friend absent-mindedly. "What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to report to Shockwave once we secured this research facility?"

Thundercracker didn't reply. It was then when Skywarp noticed that his friend's optics were full of indignation, a realization that Thundercracker himself immediately proved as he headed toward Starscream with his fists clenched.

Starscream didn't seem to notice the arrival of his trinemate. He was very busy kissing the femme's neck and prying her spark chamber open with the awkwardness of a hurried lover. And he definitely hadn't noticed, Skywarp confirmed, as he seemed genuinely surprised when Thundercracker jerked his arm violently, forced him to stand up and returned him to the floor with a powerful punch to the face plates.

Starscream hadn't finished falling when Thundercracker had already sunk to one knee and was taking the terrified femme in his arms, who held to him as if her desperate processor could recognize salvation.

"What… the slag…" Starscream mumbled as he got to his knees, his hand firmly positioned on the right side of his face.

Skywarp was too surprised to smirk at the sight of his trine leader beaten down. Normally he was the one who picked fights with Starscream. Thundercracker had claimed the role of pacifier very soon, his calmed and cold demeanor too mature for his young age. Seeing him resorting to violence outside the battlefield and with a fellow Decepticon – even if said Decepticon was Starscream – was a shocking experience.

"Nice hit, TC!" Skywarp said, grinning. "It seems like you read my mind! There's a small storage room more or less intact on the sub-level. Make sure to share once you finish with her."

"No," Thundercracker said, glancing severely at his friend.

"No?" Skywarp was sure he hadn't heard correctly. Perhaps his audios were damaged, after all…

"We don't do _these_ things, Skywarp!" Thundercracker stated with an anger that Skywarp had never seen in him before. "We don't! Do you understand?"

"B-but…"

"And just what the slag is your problem?" Starscream cried, already on his feet and recovered from the impact on one of the favorite parts of his structure. Talking about said parts, his chest plates were still half open and his arousal could be seen. Skywarp smirked to himself. That Starscream was a sick slagger indeed…

At the sound of the voice of her attacker, the shuddering female embraced Thundercracker's neck and hid her face beside his cockpit. The blue Seeker turned around to face his trine leader. "Our orders were to claim this research facility for the Decepticon Empire, not to behave like slagging beasts."

"I have all the right to claim any prisoner for my personal use!"

Thundercracker tightened his embrace around the female, whose terror had her on the edge of stasis lock. "She's not an Autobot, but a Neutralist, Starscream! And even if she weren't, the way we treat our prisoners speaks about our honour as warriors!"

"You really believe all that slag, don't you? For the Primary Program, Thundercracker, are you sure you chose the right side? You sound like a loathsome Autobot!"

Thundercracker's optics narrowed threateningly. Skywarp could understand his friend's anger. He would be fuming too if somebody compared him with an Autobot loser.

But Starscream didn't seem impressed. "Give me that female back, Thundercracker."

"Give her to me!" Starscream cried when he didn't get any response.

Thundercracker turned to Skywarp calmly and placed the femme in his arms. "Take care of her while I finish my business with Starscream. Don't you even think of harming her or I will harm you, do you understand?"

Skywarp gaped. He couldn't recognize his best friend within those irate optics. "A-alright… just don't blow a gasket, TC…" he said, taking the already offlined female, all trace of lust gone from his spark.

"So, you were saying?" Thundercracker said, turning to face Starscream and clenching his fists. The crack of his knuckles could be heard among the distant explosions.

Starscream remained silent for some astro seconds, seeming to consider the situation. He finally spoke, although not with his fists, as Skywarp would have liked to see. "You are aware that for _this _you will have to pay a high price, don't you?"

When Thundercracker didn't reply, Starscream continued speaking with a voice growing more and more venomous. "And I'm not talking about a simple femme, I'm talking about you losing yourself among the anonymous soldiers destined for cannon fodder, whilst _I _rise and rise before your optics. I am a real Decepticon, Thundercracker! I am destined for greatness! Keep exhibiting your poor version of honour, you fool, and you'll see nothing but your doom. I may only be your trine leader as we speak, but someday I will be Aerospace Commander of the Decepticon Empire and I will make you pay for this outrage! If you are still alive, that is…"

Thundercracker grimaced. "Perhaps, or perhaps not. Do what you have to do Starscream, I don't care. All I tell you is that if you don't get the slag out of here, you will regret it. Consider yourself warned."

Starscream seemed to be about to use his infamous null rays on his own trinemate, but for some reason he didn't move a cyber inch. The arrival of a sudden encrypted message from Soundwave ended the very uncomfortable moment.

"Autobot reinforcements are coming," Starscream informed them. "Return to headquarters at once."

Starscream turned around and activated his thrusters, but Thundercracker didn't lower his guard. There was one final retort left and Starscream wouldn't disappoint the expectations.

"Make sure to be on the opposite side during our combat training tomorrow," he hissed, glancing at Thundercracker one more time. "And expect the use of lethal force on my account."

"I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

_Cybertron, Decepticon Fortress of Darkmount, current time._

Starscream relaxed as the warm energon received his body. He carefully sat and rested his head on the flexible support behind it, leaning his arms on the edge of the hot tub. The small waves of energon caused by his immersion started to lick his cockpit gently, slowly returning to their former tranquility.

He sighed. It had been a while since he had last had a refined energon bath, mostly because of the rationing that Megatron had imposed on the vital element, as if Earth were not full of energy resources… If Starscream had been the one in command, he would have already dried the slagging planet a long time ago and energon baths would be a daily habit.

But he wasn't going to ruin his bath with the same old frustration that tortured practically every breem of his life. He dimmed his optics and exhaled a gust of air through his vents, enjoying himself in the warm and soothing liquid. The only thing that could have made that moment better would have been to have some company…

As if invoked, he heard the door opening and a winged figure appeared under the threshold.

Skywarp… not precisely the kind of company Starscream was thinking about, although the arrival of his wingmate didn't surprise him. He knew that the blasted hot-head would look for a moment to talk with him before the duel with Thundercracker. He was that predictable… and pathetic.

When Skywarp didn't speak, Starscream decided to start the conversation himself, otherwise the slagger would keep bothering him and all that Starscream wanted was to be left alone to enjoy his energon bath.

"_What, _Skywarp? Get the slag out of here or occupy the tank beside mine, but don't just stand there like an idiot. It's unnerving."

"I'm not in the mood for energon baths," the black Seeker grumbled.

"Good, because I prefer to be alone. Would you mind leaving now or do I have to turn my request into an order?"

Skywarp walked toward Starscream, apparently deciding whether or not to blow his Air Commander to pieces with a single shot to his relaxing but potentially deadly energon mix. In the end, his arms fell flaccid at his sides.

"It should be me fighting Thundercracker," he said somberly. "Not you."

Starscream smirked. "Well, he didn't exactly challenge you, now did he? Talk about sentimentalism… It would have been the perfect ending for your foolish friendship, the two moronic love birds fighting each other to the death. How epic."

Skywarp didn't react to the provocation, at least not with violence. "What else could you say, considering that you buried your one and only friend under the ice for thousands of vorns only to bury him again as soon as he was reactivated?"

"Ouch," Starscream said, still smirking but slightly disturbed. Information was a powerful weapon indeed, and ever since his past relationship with Skyfire had been made public, he had been the target of all kind of malicious comments. Of course, he wasn't interested in clarifying that he hadn't shot down Skyfire at the beginning as everybody thought, but had actually spent cycles looking for him… Slag, who cared. In the end, everybody always thought the worst of him.

"Is that all you came here to tell me?" Starscream insisted. "Because really, Skywarp, I would like to be left alone."

"What for? Do you want to make your last energon bath something special?"

Starscream glanced at his wingmate with interest. "And why would it be my last one? Please Skywarp, enlighten me with your wisdom."

"Come on, Screamer… Do you honestly believe you will be able to take down TC in a fair fight? You have been adulterating your energon with that hallucinogenic oil again, haven't you?"

Starscream shook his head slightly, looking hurt. "Would it surprise you if I told you that you are not the only one of my dear comrades who predicts my defeat? Ah, that's kind of… painful, you know?"

Skywarp snorted. "Quit the act, would you Screamer? What are you planning?"

Starscream's face couldn't have looked more innocent. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean… look at you!" Skywarp spat, starting to walk around the tank. "You are having a duel to the death in just a couple of cycles and here you are, having a slaggin' energon bath instead of preparing yourself! You must be planning something!"

Starscream laughed. "And what did you expect me to do instead? Should I be learning combat maneuvers?"

"Perhaps you should be taking care of all your unfinished business because you may be facing your maker very soon."

Starscream sat up straight and addressed his wingmate with a murderous glance. "I'll tell you one thing, Skywarp, and then you can go and bother someone else before you actually manage to anger me, which I strongly recommend against. _I will win that duel_. I will kill Thundercracker slowly and painfully, making sure to make him understand the ultimate mistake he made by betraying the Decepticon Empire. Is that clear, or do I have to spell it out for you?"

Very few times had Skywarp seen his Air Commander so sinister, but he was not going to back off. "TC will kill you, Screamer… We both know that you can't take him down in any clean fight."

Starscream's smirk spoke for itself.

"I just said the key word, right?" Skywarp continued. "_Clean fight… _something you are not planning to have."

"And what if that is the case?" Starscream snorted.

Skywarp's fists clenched. "A duel to the death is one of the most ancient Cybertronian traditions… The least you can do is face it with honour!"

A cabinet beside Skywarp exploded into pieces, making him flinch.

Starscream stood up, the suddenly agitated energon swirling around his legs. "I'm fast, I'm _very_ fast, I'm the fastest Seeker that ever touched the skies! That cabinet could have been your head! If you really doubt that I can defeat a traitorous piece of scum like Thundercracker then you don't know your Air Commander at all! I know the kind of sentimental slag that is running through your processor right now, so spare me from it! You feel betrayed by Thundercracker and you want to kill him off all by yourself, that I can understand, but you had your chance and you lost it. Do you think I ignore the fact that it was you who saved Thundercracker from the Combaticons, you idiot?"

Skywarp stepped back agape, but Starscream wouldn't give him any rest. "And, at the same time, you can't resist the idea of your dearest friend's spark being extinguishing within my hands, am I right? You want to kill him, and yet you want him to live… Do you understand the kind of pathetic creature you are, Skywarp? I could charge you with high treason for less than this, you imbecile! Do yourself a favour and stay very far away from all this! It doesn't have anything to do with you, do you understand? It never did! I granted you my protection and I intend to keep it that way, but for your own sake stay the slag out. I will handle this duel the way I consider proper, and I won't tolerate any interventions in a matter that only concerns me. _This _is my fight, not yours! Try to interfere and you will face my wrath! And you know better than to anger me! Are we clear now, Skywarp?"

Skywarp nodded after some seconds, still too shocked by all those contradictory feelings that Starscream was sure he was computing, more proof of how the treacherous tendrils of friendship could weaken a mech. Fortunately, that was a problem that Starscream would never have… not again.

* * *

None of the three humans had to ask about the whereabouts of a certain blue Seeker, as the loud metallic noises guided them toward one of the main storage rooms of the base, which was currently functioning as a gladiatorial arena.

Spike stopped pushing Chip's wheel chair abruptly, just as Sideswipe fell just some meters away from them. Carly had to hold Spike's arm to avoid falling.

"Whoa! Is everybody okay back there?" Brawn asked, hurrying to get to his human friends.

"Perfectly fine, just a little shaken," Spike said trying to calm his accelerated heart. "What are you all doing?"

Sideswipe sat and rubbed his helm. "Teaching TC some moves, no big deal," he said, pointing his thumb toward the center of the room, in which Sunstreaker had Thundercracker pinned to the floor.

"I would call _that_ a big deal," Carly grinned, pointing at the ugly dent on Sideswipe's face plates.

Sideswipe placed his hand on his cheek. "Oh, you mean this? TC got a little enthusiastic, that's all… only because Brawn tried to use one of his wings as a surf board."

"And I will succeed! Ready for another round, TC?" Brawn asked, his armour dented but he seemed to be enjoying the violent practice.

"Whenever… you are," Thundercracker replied, struggling with Sunstreaker.

"And _that's _how you do it. Do you understand, Decepticreep?" Sunstreaker said, stepping back and offering his hand to Thundercracker.

"How? Like _this?" _Thundercracker smirked, taking Sunstreaker's hand and kicking his middle section, throwing him above the Seeker's head.

Another resounding thud shook the room as all the Autobots, Thundercracker included, started to laugh.

"Oooh… so resorting to your old Decepticon dirty tricks, huh? I can't believe I fell for the same thing again…" Sunstreaker said, getting up and clenching his fists. "I should have guessed you'd keep something from your ole faction. Come and have some love, sweetie!"

"Uh…. guys?" Chip said, bravely positioning himself between the two smiling combatants. "I hate to interrupt your party, but wouldn't it be wiser for Thundercracker to rest? I don't think facing a duel all beaten up will increase his probabilities of victory."

"Beaten up?" Brawn asked, honestly confused. "What do you mean, Chip? We are just exchanging mild punches, nothing that could really harm him."

"That's a relief," Carly grinned. "But why don't you guys take a break?"

The four Autobots glanced at each other before sinking to the floor, shaking the room one more time with all their weight.

"I'm glad to see you in a good mood, Thundercracker. _Those _look very good on you, by the way," Carly continued, pointing toward the two Autobot insignias featuring on Thundercracker's wings.

He took a quick look at the one on his right. "They do? Mm, I wouldn't know. They feel rather strange."

"You'll get used to them," Brawn said. "And we'll get used to seeing you using them. As weird as you may feel with them, they look a ton times better than your old badges."

Sunstreaker snorted. "I don't know about you guys, but I never liked purple."

Chip rolled his wheel chair toward Thundercracker, his eternal hunger for knowledge driving him. "How did you get your Decepticon insignias? Do you… I mean, do the Decepticons have some sort of ceremony?"

Carly noticed that Thundercracker eyed Chip with some awkwardness. Even the Autobots had problems understanding why humans just couldn't replace their limbs when they didn't work with a hundred percent efficiency.

"Ceremony?" Thundercracker said. "No, I wouldn't call it a ceremony… At the beginning perhaps it was a serious thing, but then the war escalated and badges were granted to anybody who wanted to join the Decepticon army."

"We do have a ceremony," Sideswipe said, addressing the three humans. "You guys saw it, when Skyfire became an Autobot, but Thundercracker didn't want any. He just went to Wheeljack and asked him to erase his 'Con badges for good and replaced them with the ones the winners use."

"Such a spoilsport," Sunstreaker snorted.

"You should have already have noticed that Thundercracker is one very discreet guy, something that it not very common around here," Carly grinned, noticing how the former Decepticon was very sensitive toward praises. Maybe he barely received them, even never, but he always seemed uncomfortable when addressed amicably. He was definitely a very welcome addition to the Autobot ranks, and she was among the ones who couldn't wait to see him evolving into the righteous and true Autobot he was always meant to be.

But there they were, the black clouds again. As much as she had tried to remain optimistic, they were hanging above Thundercracker's head, and even though she had known him for such a short amount of time, Carly already felt a sincere affection for the Seeker, which drove her next words.

"Thundercracker, I… we have been very worried about you."

Thundercracker acknowledged her with a serious, somewhat embarrassed, stare. "Don't be. I'll be just fine."

"And you will, considering the moves I just showed you," Sunstreaker said, smirking. "I almost feel sorry for Screamer, almost."

"Have you fought Starscream before?" Spike asked. "In a serious fight, I mean."

"No… just combat practices," the Seeker said, obviously uncomfortable with the interrogation.

The three humans gathered around Thundercracker. "And who usually won?" Chip asked.

"I would like to say that I did, but I would be lying."

"Who cares?" Sideswipe said, slapping Thundercracker's shoulder with more strength than a normal friendly slap would have required. "You can't compare a single practice with a real fight. Now it's entirely different. You will make that slag-sucker know what it feels like to not recognize his head from his aft!"

Sunstreaker slapped Thundercracker's other shoulder, giving him a little taste of his rough affection. "And that's exactly what you will do! I won't accept that a guy that defeated me can have his aft served up by Screamer of all mechs, no slaggin' way!"

Carly shook her head. "I insist, if you keep beating Thundercracker that way…"

Everybody laughed again, even Thundercracker smiled with that beautiful and honest smile he had. Carly should have felt satisfied, but she wasn't. As much as she was trying to ignore them, the black clouds were still there, heavy with acid rain. She hated herself for not being able to share everybody's optimism, but as a chill ran down her back, she realized that the possibility of losing that amazing new friend terrified her.

_To be continued._

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_Wow, it's finally happening, after more than thirty chapters we are getting to the end of this ride. Really, after 'Purple rain' being only thirteen chapters long, I thought 'Deviant' would be something similar, but it turned to be bigger than I thought, which highly pleases me because I loved writing this story as much as I love a certain tall, dark and handsome – and troubled – Seeker._

_I want to thank you all for being with me all this time. I mean it when I say that you are a big part of this story and that your support is a huge inspiration every time that I sit and decide to write a new update. _

_I also want to thank my beta reader and lovely friend iratepirate. Without her help, my updates would have grammar mistakes that would be a wound to read. She has also been a huge inspiration in those times in which I got stuck or faced the awful blank page syndrome, so double hugs for that._

_The first part of this chapter was inspired by 'The claiming' by dixiegurl13. I hope you enjoyed it, girl ;o)_

_Alright, preambles are over. After entitling three chapters with "Countdown…" finally we will get into the action. The duel is coming next update and I don't plan to include any cliffhanger in the middle. I have the first rough already written, so it will be posted very soon, after revising it and receiving the green light from my beta._

_Thanks for reading. All your bets have been considered. Make sure to have the energon to cover them because Swindle is sneaking around ;o)_


	34. One shall stand, one shall fall

_Finally, the duel. I tried to update as soon as possible because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting too much, and thanks to the generosity of my beta reader iratepirate here you have the chapter. I hope you will enjoy it :o)_

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**Chapter 34**

**One shall stand, one shall fall**

The day of the death of a Seeker, Cybertron woke up in peace. Nothing seemed different, and yet it seemed like time had stopped. Broken ruins kept collapsing aside miraculously standing buildings, some of them still shining with the glimmer of their ancient days of glory. Empties kept crawling through the devastated streets in search of crumbs of fuel that would allow them to live one cycle more, no matter if it turned out to be another cycle of fear and despair. Iacon and Polyhex, strongholds of a unique race of robots that had spent millions of years killing their own brethren, were silent. Trenches, battle stations, headquarters and arsenals were waiting, live creatures growling and showing their fangs but keeping their violence suspended above the treacherous strings of war, the eternal puppeteer.

The day of the death of a Seeker, the echoes of the past blew like wind through the same empty Coliseum that had seen a miner turn into the leader of thousands and had sheltered his insurrection. The smell of the vital fluid of countless Cybertronians who entered that arena to never leave, the severed limbs that moved for the last time before the optics of a hungered crowd that was pleading for war, the cries of pain and bestiality that created their own symphony, the figure of the survivor, fleeting winner, his hands wet with the extinguished life of his brothers, his spark carrying the rotting carcass of his innocence, his life a sonorous countdown.

The day of the death of a Seeker one life would make a difference. A devastated planet deprived of its soul, a violated mother that didn't mourn her sons anymore, but only averted her glance every time a spark ceased to exist. But suddenly she cared again, if only because that single duel that would force two of her sons to murder each other was also meant to change the course of the war corroding her. Motherly instinct ached, one of her arms embracing the son to fall, the one who would have no glory and whose memory would vanish within the dust. In her other arm, the victorious son would lie down, alive but forever mutilated.

The day of the death of a Seeker, fear and hope divided the siblings that had become enemies once again. Badge of peace, badge of conquest, both sides of the mask rotated, leaving nothing but an empty smirk. Laughter was an absence among the Autobot ranks, dread lurking around optimism as a resentful lover. Bets were running freely within the Decepticons, only one of them foreign to the sick amusement of witnessing the fall of one of their own. Betrayer or egomaniac, there would be no victory for the Decepticons that day. Only one of them knew, the one who had flown wing to wing beside the Seekers that would battle that day until termination defined a winner.

The day of the death of a Seeker, nobody noticed the absence of a shadow.

* * *

"Are you okay?"

The warm touch, the obvious question. Carly raised her head and looked at her boyfriend, who was addressing her with a smile.

He seemed to understand his awkward comment. "I'm sorry," he said. "Obviously you are not… But please don't worry, Carly. Thundercracker will be fine. He's the good guy, he can't lose. In the end, justice always prevails."

"I'm worried, Spike… I can't help it. I feel like something very bad is going to happen. This fight is so absurd… what difference will one death make? It's so unfair… no matter who wins, there will be grief today."

"Yeah, on the Decepticons' side, if they can feel grief, that is."

Carly frowned. "Unlike you and the Autobots, I'm not one who would find happiness in the destruction of Starscream, and it disappoints me that you find the idea worthy of being celebrated."

"Come on, love, please try to understand. The Transformers are warriors, they are battling a war, they know what they are dealing with… The Autobots take honour very seriously and it seems that the Decepticons do too – somehow. Optimus Prime told me that there is a history of this kind of duel, and they have always been carried out with honour and pride, even though both qualities are not common within the 'Cons."

"What can be so honourable when a life is going to be terminated? Please Spike, if you can't understand me, leave me alone. I could never justify murder, no matter the circumstances."

Spike rubbed his head and kneeled before his girlfriend. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean it to sound like that. You know that I would never approve of murder, but this is a duel we are talking about… both Thundercracker and Starscream chose to solve their issues this way."

Carly put her hand on her face, which reflected nothing more than fatigue and fear. "No, I'm sorry, Spike. I just… I'm worried about Thundercracker and the idea that he will be fighting to the death with what is practically his brother is destroying me."

"You don't have to be afraid, Carly. My son speaks the truth when he says that justice always finds a way."

Both adolescents turned to the middle aged man who entered the Ark's Command Centre. Ever since she had met him, Sparkplug Witwicky had always been a strong support in Carly's life. Being an orphan, she considered him pretty much as a father.

He sat beside Carly and took one of her hands. "Thundercracker has a kind and brave soul, he has a lot to live for and I have the feeling that he will have all the time he needs to experience his transformation into a true Autobot."

Carly sighed. "I wish I could share your optimism…"

Sparkplug smiled. "I'll tell you kids a story that I've never told to anyone, not even to Bumblebee, who was my partner in crime."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Spike asked, sitting on the floor.

"It happened when the Transformers activated on Earth, more than two years ago. As you certainly remember, son, Bumblebee and I sneaked into that mine in Burma to plant the super explosive that Wheeljack designed to stop the Decepticons, but we were discovered by Thundercracker and his friend Skywarp. The other Decepticon attacked Bumblebee and Thundercracker dealt with me, but even though he could have killed me easily with one single finger, he just pushed me away, being careful not to damage me. Bumblebee didn't notice because Skywarp was hurting him badly. I always wondered why Thundercracker didn't kill me that day, but now I understand it. It was because he's a warrior, but not a murderer; he never belonged to the Decepticons."

Despite her sadness, Carly smiled. That was true. She had seen into Thundercracker's spark and had found sincere goodness.

"Hey, the duel is about to start!" Cliffjumper shouted as a small group of Autobots – the few that remained on Earth – gathered before the screen of Teletraan I.

The three humans stood up, but Carly turned around. "I can't watch that. Go on if you want, Spike, I'll be outside."

Spike hesitated for a moment but followed his girlfriend.

* * *

"We finished checking the entire Quadrant Epsilon and there is no signal of Decepticon presence, Prime," Red Alert said, approaching a very serious Optimus Prime.

"Except for your old buddy Starscream, huh Red?" Sideswipe said maliciously. "Say, did you ever overcome that crush you had on him?"

Red Alert was obviously very disturbed by the comment, but the joke didn't have the desired effect due to the heaviness invading every cyber inch of the Autobot Headquarters in Iacon.

Optimus Prime nodded slightly. "Good work, Red Alert, but keep all your surveillance stations working at maximum efficiency. Prowl, what's the status of our troops?"

The Autobot Second in Command advanced toward his leader. "Ready to move at your command."

"Good. Keep them on alert. Megatron will make his move after this duel and we will be ready for him. Make sure to send assistance to Thundercracker once the fight finishes. We don't know how the Decepticons will react if their Second in Command is terminated."

"Have any of you considered that Thundercracker may actually be the one to end up slagged?" Gears asked from a corner.

Sunstreaker shot him an angry look. "Shut it, rust bucket! He will win."

"Hey, I'm just saying that he's not precisely fighting a weakling, you know?"

"Silence, you two," Prowl said. "The duel is about to start."

Optimus Prime just stared at the screen, his countenance as serious as it would have been had any of his other Autobots been about to battle to the death.

* * *

"Ask him."

"No, you go and ask him, frag face!"

Frenzy pushed Rumble forward. "Come on slaghead, ya know Megatron would never slag us for a simple question!"

"Why don't ya go yourself, then? OK, we may have some extra points with the big boss 'cause of Soundwave, but from that to going and asking him if he actually bet on Starscream would be too much. 'Sides, I think Vortex lied to us. Megatron wouldn't bet, and definitely not on Screamer."

"Whatever ya say, chicken slag."

"Shut yer trap hole or I'll slag ya instead!" Rumble said, waving his fist before his twin's face.

From his place beside Megatron's throne, Shockwave turned around and shot the Cassetticons a severe look. How it was possible to determine his mood when his face was completely deprived of features was one of those mysteries that were meant to remain unsolved.

"You two will remain silent, or you will be sent back to Earth for Soundwave to deal with you."

When the twins retreated and took the discussion to the private realm of their link, Shockwave addressed his Commander again.

"Everything is ready, Lord Megatron. Just give the word and your loyal Decepticons will mobilize."

Megatron smirked. "Not yet, Shockwave, not yet… let my Decepticons enjoy this fight, which will perhaps be memorable after all. After such a boost of morale, crushing the Autobots will be an easy task."

"The Autobots have assumed their combat positions as well. They are waiting for us to make the first move."

"And we will. But no matter how prepared Prime thinks he is, he can't imagine what's coming to him. Who could tell, Shockwave, that in the end it would be a simple diversion that would give us the ultimate triumph over the Autobots?"

The sinister laugh that followed Megatron's words was no surprise to anyone, although the silence that followed was. Starscream was not there to pinpoint whatever inconsistencies he could find in his leader's plan, and suddenly that seemed so unnatural that some Decepticons actually started to miss him.

There were all excited, betting and discussing which one of the same Seekers that had fought shoulder to shoulder with them for so many vorns would cease to exist that day. All, except Megatron. He remained sitting on his throne as the big screen before him was about to deliver the image of two of his best warriors killing each other. His harsh face had a slight but sick smirk. That was a view he would definitely enjoy. No matter which one of the pawns died, Megatron would have his own victory.

* * *

Cybertron began to cry early. Acid rain started to pour from the sky, calm but painful tears burning both the mother and the sons.

That was one of the advantages of being alone; having the time and the emptiness required to have thoughts that normally would have never crossed one's processor, at least not the one of Skywarp.

He had lost count of the breems he had been there, hidden on one of the sub-levels of the half demolished Coliseum. Nobody in Polyhex would notice his absence; he had become a shadow lately, due to the dissolve of his trine and his history with the most famous betrayer in the history of the Decepticon Empire.

It had been easy to trick the cameras, one of the advantages of being a teleporter. He shouldn't have been hiding on that sub-level of the infamous Kaon Coliseum, and he knew it perfectly well; besides Starscream's warnings, there was an unwritten code to follow for that kind of duel. Direct witnesses were forbidden; the only foreign optics allowed were the cameras, carriers of the images of destruction and glory that would inevitably happen that day. But Skywarp had a long story defying the forbidden. It wasn't the first time he had been in that place. He had been there before, a long time ago, accompanied precisely by the ones that were currently standing in front of each other in the arena, nothing but hate pending between them.

"_Screamer… you can let go of my arm now. We're here."_

"_Don't waste your vocalizer, 'Warp. He's about to purge his fuel tanks."_

"_Oooh slag, don't even think about it, Screamer! I just got my paintjob done! Let go of my slaggin' arm, I said! I teleported you and TC here, but I'm not your fraggin' caretaker, got it?"_

"_It's his first time, give him a break. I recall my own first teleporting experience as a very bitter moment, especially considering you dragged me into it without even consulting me."_

"_Okay, okay… you may have a point there, TC… How are you feeling now, Screamer? A little better?"_

"_Y… yes…"_

"_Why don't you sit, Starscream? You look like scrap."_

"_I'm… fine. Mind your own business, Thundercracker!"_

"_Always the grateful one… Come on guys, stop fighting. I managed to get us in here, right? We'll have the best fraggin' view in the entire Coliseum!"_

"_And that's the only reason why I don't slag you, you moron! You must be the worst teleporter Vector Sigma ever sparked!"_

"_Shut up, you two. If we are caught down here we will be expelled from the Academy, and that if we are lucky. I have no doubt that these gladiators would kill us at first sight if they found us here. Besides, the fight it's starting…"_

"_Where, TC? Where is _he?"

"_There…"_

"That _is Megatron? He's not that big… Heh, the other guy is almost twice his size."_

"_Indeed he is. Such a shame he's not three times bigger at least, perhaps that way he would have stood a chance."_

"_What are you talking about? That guy will tear Megatron to pieces!"_

"_You obviously don't know Megatron at all, 'Warp."_

"_What do you mean, TC?"_

"_Just watch him dominate his rival in the same way he dominates the arena and the crowd."_

"_I think you're overreacting. Don't you agree, Screamer? Screamer…? Uh, TC? I think we have a problem… Screamer's kind of… speechless. Did you just fall in love, Screamer? Screamer! Say something and quit that stupid face, slaggit!"_

"The humans have a saying about the one free of sin casting the first stone," Starscream said. "Are you free from sin, Thundercracker? If that is the case, I'm waiting for your stone."

Fragging Starscream… how the slag did he come up with those lines? It seemed like he always knew the right things to say – right as synonymous of hurtful. That unnerved Skywarp to the core, it always had done.

It was so surreal… his two wingmates about to slag each other to pieces, the same wingmates that had flown beside him since their days of youth at the War Academy, when daydreaming and pranks were an everyday thing. When did things change so much?

Skywarp didn't even know what the slag he was doing there; certainly not to have a privileged view. Perhaps he was there to witness the last official moment of the existence of his trine, perhaps he was there to see one of his wingmates kill the other one… Despite his current feelings for those two, they were still his wingmates, his brothers, the fliers that had fought so many battles beside him, the mechs to whom he had entrusted his life…

Perhaps he was there to say his own word in a matter his processor refused to understand. However, how he would say such word – and against whom – was yet to be decided.

* * *

Sparks literally flew when Thundercracker seized Starscream's hand at the center of the arena. But the feelings involved couldn't have been more distant from love; murderous intentions shone in both Seekers' optics as they locked hands in the strongest hand shake of their lives.

"It's curious," Starscream sneered, "I don't think we ever shook hands before."

"It's the first time indeed," Thundercracker replied, increasing the pressure on his former wingmate's hand and receiving the same response. "And considering how you seem willing to say your best lines, aren't you going to say something stupid about being the last time as well? Or will it be you who casts that first stone?"

Starscream smirked. "I see that those ridiculous badges on your wings come with an attitude… But no, there will be no lines this time. Let's proceed to your death instead, shall we?"

Starscream hadn't even finished talking when his null rays activated, but Thundercracker was ready and materialized an energy shield that rejected that first attack. However, he wasn't fast enough and his hand – the one holding Starscream's – received a mild impact. Numbness immediately took over.

"Heh," Starscream said, jumping back and putting some distance between him and his enemy. "I think I can hear your new Autobot buddies all the way from Iacon calling me a cheater just because of that."

Thundercracker slightly shook his hand, slowly returning it to complete functionality. "You said it yourself, but I would call you stupid instead. I know your null ray as well as I know your arrogance. If you really want to take me down, you will have to try harder than that."

Starscream laughed. "I'm just warming up. I wouldn't expect you to fall with my null rays at this early stage of our fight… that would be highly disappointing. But don't expect me to fall directly into your arms either."

Thundercracker smirked. "I don't. I know you are a fool but not enough to engage in hand to hand combat with a mech infinitely stronger than you."

"Infinitely? Don't blind yourself, Thundercracker. You may be stronger than me due to your ground-pounder origins, but you should know that I'm full of surprises."

"All I know is that you talk too much."

"More fight, less talk, huh? Fine with me! If you want to die so much, I will please you. Transform, you fool! Transform and show me what you are made of, because today I will show you exactly the greatness that defines a Seeker, a _real _Seeker! You are no match for me in the sky, Thundercracker, you never were and today won't be the exception. Hear this and hear it well: you won't leave this arena alive!"

Thundercracker didn't reply. Not with words. He transformed and followed the white, red and blue jet to the battlefield without walls, the element of freedom but also of death. Fliers as they both were, there was no other place in which their conflict could be solved. Cybertron being their battlefield, they tacitly agreed to stay within the Coliseum area; they both had many things to prove, not only to themselves but to their factions.

Every Cybertronian knew that Starscream was the fastest flier alive, his speed and flying skills as clear as a death sentence for anybody who dared to engage him in a one to one confrontation. The Autobot fliers had learned very quickly that if they wanted a chance against the Decepticon Aerospace Commander, they had to attack him as if he were a squad instead of an individual, turn the sky from Starscream's element into his enemy. But experience had also taught them how difficult was to achieve such a thing, because this was precisely Starscream's specialty. He liked to isolate his rivals, play with them until just the idea of staying in the air became terrifying, and then taking them down without anything resembling mercy. Some of the ones who had survived his attacks had even never dared to get airborne again.

That's why it was surprising for both the distant Autobot and Decepticon witnesses that Starscream didn't go for the kill as soon as he left the ground. Although not that much, considering that his rival was able to produce sonic booms that could disable any flier around. Normally Thundercracker was very careful with his special ability – when he didn't want to include his wingmates in his rate of doom – but considering that the only one flying relatively close to him was an enemy, there was no doubt that he wouldn't restrict himself in using his biggest, if not his only, card of triumph.

So Starscream's first aerial attack showed his respect toward his former wingmate's ability. After putting a safe distance between himself and Thundercracker, Starscream went upwards as much as possible and released a rain of cluster bombs on his pursuer.

Thundercracker avoided them easily, shooting his incendiary guns at the same time, but Starscream dodged the shots with the same ease. There was no doubt that they knew each other too well; perhaps the element of surprise would define the winner.

"_Do you know what this reminds me of, TC?" _Starscream said through his comm link. _"Our practices at the Military Academy. How many times were you able to take me down back then? Oh yeah… zero."_

Thundercracker's response was another round of laser fire. This time he managed to graze Starscream's underside.

"_That will make this, the first time, even more pleasant. Did that hurt, Starscream?"_

"_As much as a caress, but I'm afraid that was the closest you will get to me today. Take this, you putrid traitor!"_

Starscream plummeted so rapidly that a fleeting star wouldn't have outmatched him, also nullifying any attempt of a sonic boom coming from his rival. As predicted, Thundercracker opted for defense instead of offense, but he wasn't fast enough and Starscream's sharp wing opened a thin but deep wound on one of his sides. The attack was so fast that Starscream's fuselage didn't even feel the breeze of his enemy's vital fuel splattering from the wound.

"_What about that?" _Starscream mocked. _"Did _that _hurt?"_

"_Why would anything hurt? Did you actually do something, Starscream?" _

Starscream laughed as he started to fly in circles around his prey, closing his distance with every turn. He was getting dangerously close when a small electrical discharge coming from Thundercracker's frame made him avert his course, breaking his perfect flying pattern.

"_Ionizing the atmosphere again, Thundercracker? How clever…"_

"_A little reminder of our last encounter. It surprises me you didn't see it coming."_

"_Mm, I guess you needed a way to compensate the immense advantage I have over you because of my superior speed. Very clever indeed, I bet you had a little help from your Autobot brethren. Thanks to your new little toy, my navigation system is down now."_

"_And so will be the rest of you!" _Thundercracker roared as he suddenly turned into the pursuer. Starscream averted his course, dodging what could have been a lethal impact. Thundercracker's fuselage was heavier than his, and it was obvious who would be on the receiving end if they both crashed against each other. But Starscream's speed couldn't beat a close laser shot and this time his underside received more than just a caress.

"_Slag you!" _Starscream cried when a stream of his vital fluid was welcomed by the dark sky. _"I'm done with playing! I'll finish you off now!"_

When Starscream regained his balance, there was no doubt why he was called Prince of the Skies. That was not only his element, but an extension of himself, and he seemed very determined to show that fact to his former wingmate.

Thundercracker was being faster than ever, but still he couldn't avoid being shot on the nosecone. A black cloud of smoke, as dark as a bad omen, confirmed that the damage was not mild.

"_My my, look who lost his navigation system as well! " _Starscream laughed, preparing for another attack.

Thundercracker lost some altitude but regained it almost immediately, engaging in the beautiful but mortal dance that only two Seekers could perform.

"_I don't need any navigation system to take you down!"_

"_Don't lose your calm or you'll lose the fight. Isn't that the kind of slag your Autobot friends would tell you?"_

"_I'll tell you one thing, Starscream. If I lose this fight, I'll make sure to take you to hell with me!"_

"_A little melodramatic, aren't we? Those Autobots really messed with your mind, Thundercracker. By destroying you, I'll actually do you a favour!"_

Another exchange of fire found targets. Explosions and short circuits in both Seekers exposed the damage, but Starscream's speed made the difference. Despite the smoke and the fuel he was losing, he managed to stay in the air, but Thundercracker started to lose altitude, his descent on the edge of becoming a free fall.

"_And that's how history is written!" _Starscream snarled, heading toward his rival. _"And _this_ is how a traitor is terminated!"_

A deafening sound shattered the Coliseum and its surroundings. If Kaon had memory, she certainly remembered the last time she had heard that kind of noise, the one that only the master of thunder could make when he claimed his kingdom.

"_Precisely, Starscream, this will be the termination of yourself, the ultimate traitor! Being so overconfident about your own power has always been your weakness, I expected better from you!"_

Starscream twisted in impossible movements, trying frantically to regain his balance after the massive overload his sensors were experiencing because of the sonic boom he had just received. Any other flier would have crashed, but not him. He recovered amazingly fast, but it was already too late.

His fuselage shook violently as Thundercracker, transformed into his bipedal mode, straddled over him, trapping him with his arms and legs.

"It's curious that you mention my Autobot friends, Starscream… They taught me some moves, such as this one. You may recognize jet judo!"

With that, Thundercracker started to punch Starscream's nosecone, denting it and shattering his cockpit. Starscream cried in pain as he made the ultimate decision. Renounce his jet mode – and thus his major advantage – or die. His survival was, as always, his only priority and he returned to his bipedal form, engaging with Thundercracker in a brutal exchange of punches. Thundercracker would normally have the upper hand in that kind of fight, but the loss of pressure he had experienced due to the release of his sonic boom was still affecting him and Starscream managed to shoot him point blank in the right shoulder. The damage was considerable, but Thundercracker seemed to be above pain.

Gravity did her thing and both combatants returned to the ground. They fell on the half destroyed steps of the Coliseum, finishing the job that time and war had done so well. At the last moment, Starscream had managed to get on top of Thundercracker and received the lesser evil of such a devastating fall, but still he tumbled down the stairs and ended up crashing against the barrier that separated the public area from the arena. His optics blinked for a moment but it didn't take him long to start moving again. He got onto one knee and pushed himself laboriously to a standing position. His chest plates were damaged and the inner circuits of his right thigh were completely exposed, but aside from that, he seemed to be very functional.

He looked upwards, toward the cloud of dark smoke and debris in which no movement could be detected. Following his battle computer and his instinct, he raised his arm-mounted canons and started to limp toward his objective, murder clearly being his only objective.

He shot, as always attacking first and asking questions later. He shot until he couldn't shoot anymore, his optics blinking with fury, his air vents expelling his anxiety and his desire to end the fight as soon as possible. When debris stopped ricocheting on his armour and the cloud of smoke caressed his feet, Starscream staggered, trying to regain his balance, but keeping his cannons aimed at whatever was lying before him.

He shrieked in surprise when two hands came from the smoke and seized his arms in an iron grip. Pain was all that came through Starscream's vocalizer when both his arm-mounted cannons were ripped from his arms with extreme brutality. He was released, but only to have the deadly weapons of Thundercracker aimed at his face.

"No!" Starscream cried, stepping back and instinctively trying to protect himself by putting his hands between him and his attacker. "Don't shoot!"

Thundercracker was in very bad shape. One of his wings was almost torn and there were open wounds all over his dented body, but he seemed decided to remain standing that day.

His face showed something of a mixture between a smirk and a grimace. "I don't need to shoot. I will win this fight without having any advantage over you."

The sound of his own armour being wounded seemed to travel over the entire surface Cybertron as Thundercracker ripped his cannons off his arms. Nude of weapons, both Seekers faced the last stage of their fight.

"Fool! You just deprived yourself of your only chance of victory," Starscream hissed, oblivious to his own vital fluid dampening his arms.

Thundercracker pounced at him so fast that it was a surprise that Starscream managed to stay on his feet. He stepped back as Thundercracker's hands closed around his neck, his own hands seizing the arms of his attacker at the same time. It seemed that Starscream's last moments were approaching, but the Decepticon Second in Command was never out of resources. Thundercracker groaned in pain and released his prey when two sharp spikes emerged from Starscream's forearms and pierced his armour.

"Feel free to cry as much as you want! As you can see, I also had some upgrades," Starscream said, smirking. "Just as you prepared to fight a _real _flier, I was ready to face a ground-pounder like you, who would bet on a hand to hand combat as his only chance of victory. You know why you are dying today, don't you Thundercracker? Because no matter how much you changed your body, you could never erase the stench of your filthy Autobot origins!"

Thundercracker roared and crashed his head against Starscream's face, forcing him to retreat, but the Decepticon remained standing. They both seemed to understand that the next one to hit the ground wouldn't stand up again.

Furious about the shattered optic that his face exhibited, Starscream pounced at Thundercracker, oblivious of the superior physical strength of his rival. He embraced him by the waist and pushed him as hard as he could. Thundercracker couldn't avoid being dragged back but he punched Starscream's back brutally, right at the union of his wings, making his enemy cry in pain.

Spitting energon and still groaning because of the damage received, Starscream managed to smirk. "How ironic… you were so confident that close combat would be your victory card, and yet it will be the complete opposite."

Thundercracker groaned in pain and kicked Starscream away from him, his middle section stabbed by four blades that had emerged from Starscream's armour.

"And now, for the grand finale, I will cut you in two!" Starscream cried as the wrist joint of his right hand opened and allowed a thin but sharp laser sword to shine its deadly glimmer.

Thundercracker retreated but Starscream's speed didn't give him any chance. In less than a nano klik he was above his enemy, his sword ready to release the promised fatal hit. At the last moment, Thundercracker protected his head with his arm and the sword pierced cleanly through it, opening a deep wound on his forearm. But that's all that Thundercracker could do; not caring about the relative failure of his first attempt, Starscream attacked again and this time his sword found shelter on the right side of Thundercracker's chest.

"It's over," Starscream hissed. "In consideration of the vorns we were wingmates, I'll make this fast, but not less painful."

"It is over indeed," Thundercracker said, surprisingly calm. "For you."

As if he couldn't feel the pain, Thundercracker closed his hand around the laser sword. The smell of burned metal permeated through the air as the Autobot's hand started to melt.

"You… you insane fragger!" Starscream cried, terrified, as he released his sword and stepped back.

"I understand something," Thundercracker continued, his voice never so calm as he removed the sword from his wounded chest. "You are afraid, Starscream, you have been afraid all your life. I never pitied you as much as I pity you right now. Surrender and I'll grant you mercy."

"You… will grant me mercy?" Starscream stammered, trembling in fury. "I will never surrender to you! I will kill you, do you understand? That's what I'll do!"

Another laser sword emerged from Starscream's arm, but before he could release the final blow, an accurate shot broke the weapon in two. Starscream's face had never been as shocked as he turned to his right and faced the unwelcomed visitor.

"You! I told you to stay the slag away from this!" he said, as astonished as he was furious.

Thundercracker had time to look at his unexpected saviour right before he vanished, but there was no trace of gratitude on the blue Seeker's face, only shock and frustration.

Starscream returned his confused gaze to Thundercracker, but the now Autobot didn't hesitate. He activated his thrusters and pounced at Starscream with all the potency he had left, grasped him by the waist and propelled both of them towards the sky. Starscream roared in pain as his middle section was crushed so brutally, for once not relieved by being back in his element.

But Thundercracker had no plans to remain airborne. As soon as he gained enough altitude, he positioned himself on top of Starscream and used everything that was left of his thrusters to return to the ground at supersonic speed. Right before crashing, Starscream had time to glance downwards, to the same arena that had started it all and would now see the end.

A deafening sound and an impressive cloud of smoke and debris exploded as both Seekers crashed at the center of the Coliseum and opened a big hole beneath them, defeating the millenary resistance of the scenario that had seen so many other Cybertronians die.

Silence, the same silence that would have caressed a crypt, immediately took over. The duel had finished, charging its toll of fatality and bitter victory.

From their distant locations, Autobots and Decepticons anxiously waited for the survivor; no one could think about calling him a winner anymore.

Finally, after some of the most tense astro seconds Cybertron had ever lived, one arm emerged from the debris.

Starscream's arm.

Completely severed.

After throwing his macabre trophy, a very wounded Thundercracker pushed himself out of the hole, his expression empty, completely deprived of anything resembling victory.

He stood there for a moment, a sole survivor without anything to celebrate.

He limped slowly toward the exit, surrounded by the complete silence that seemed to be reigning all over Cybertron.

"I used to think I was the ultimate prankster, but you really outdid me this time."

Thundercracker stopped, not surprised by the voice but visibly disturbed. He turned around and faced Skywarp, who wasn't staring at his optics, but at the Autobot insignias on his wings.

"You shouldn't have got involved, 'Warp… Leave now, you don't know what you did."

Skywarp's optics narrowed as he raised his arm-mounted cannons. "Defend yourself, traitor! Unlike Screamer, I didn't come here to be defeated!"

Thundercracker stepped back and instinctively raised his hands in a pacifist gesture, trying to calm his former wingmate. "No… brother, wait…"

"You betrayed the Decepticon cause! You betrayed me!"

"Wait! Brother!"

"Betrayer."

That was the last word Thundercracker heard. He saw the murderous fire coming from Skywarp's canons, but he didn't mind. All his senses were still focused on the coldness and hurt in which the last word had been said.

As his chest plates exploded and he felt how his life started to escape through his destroyed body, Thundercracker realized that perhaps he was listening to the last word he would ever hear.

_To be continued._

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* * *

_

_If you need some tissues, I have plenty of them :o(_

_Sorry for the very common title of the chapter, but I couldn't think in one that fitted better, except, of course, for 'Two shall fall'._

_What Sparkplug said happened in the G1 episode 'More than meets the eye' part 2. Thundercracker actually pushed him away, but didn't harm him. This can be interpreted in many ways – most certainly, it was because in a 80's kids cartoon, the human heroes of the story were not meant to be killed – but I chose this one._

_Unlike it happened in the episode 'Heavy metal war', I wanted to write this duel more private, as it happened in the UK Marvel comics in which Starscream battled Brawn to death. Both Autobots and Decepticons were allowed to watch the fight, but from their headquarters. No one of them was allowed to get close to the combatants, although also there was an uninvited witness._

_The swords that Starscream used was a little blink to Transformers Armada, as perhaps you noticed ;o)_

_The final dialogue between Thundercracker and Skywarp was based on the dialogue they had in 'All hail Megatron' issue 12, in which Skywarp shoots Thundercracker after he saved New York and the Autobots from certain destruction. Actually, I used two literal lines from TC. I just couldn't resist it :oP_

_Sorry for the ugly cliffhanger. Next chapter is practically done, so you can count with a fast update. Please let me know your opinions, they are a big inspiration and help :o) _


	35. Stripped

_Wow, I'm so happy for the wonderful reviews I received for the previous chapter. I'm also very thankful with all of you who contacted me through my private mail. It's very satisfying for me that you guys are following this story, so I put my other fics aside a little to keep updating this one. I also realized that I left last chapter in an ugly cliffhanger, so here you have the newest update and one of the pivotal chapters of this story._

_I also want to thank deeply my friend and beta reader iratepirate, who corrected this chapter immediately so I could post it as soon as possible. Many hugs and energon cookies to her!_

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* * *

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**Chapter 35**

**Stripped**

The world had never been so blurry, and yet so peaceful. During some flashes of consciousness, Thundercracker wondered if he had been wrong by doubting the existence of an afterlife. Was that death, that perfect status of tranquility and numbness? He didn't feel anything but the soothing liquid whirling slowly around him. His body was gone, probably to the same place to which the rest of his senses had been exiled.

He was floating, but he was not flying. He had spent most of his life in the air but suddenly he wasn't able to recognize that place deprived of gravity. That had to be death, he decided, his mind unable to guide him in another direction.

Then he noticed the shadows, dark and blurry silhouettes that passed before him from time to time, sometimes stopping to watch him. Perhaps that was his punishment, to become a form of entertainment, a mockery for all the lost sparks wandering within the Matrix. It served him well.

He didn't have a vocalizer anymore, but he found the way to sigh. He deserved such punishment. All he hoped was that it would become eternal, maybe that way he would finally make amends with himself.

But that hope turned out to be fleeting. When the world went dark again, he realized that he was not dead, at least not anymore. He still had a lot to pay for, and he would be fully conscious when it happened.

That would be his torture.

* * *

When his systems status was displayed on his HUD, Thundercracker didn't realize he was conscious; he only realized that once again he had been dragged from oblivion, no matter if his battlefield had been different this time.

He wasn't surprised when he tried to move his arms and he couldn't. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, acknowledging that he still had a body but not having the freedom to move it. The pressure on his chest and his arms immobilized at his back announced the presence of an inhibitor claw, one of the devices designed to completely contain a Cybertronian and keep his abilities nullified. His fears were justified when his optics returned to online status and confirmed the presence of the spider-like device wrapped around the upper part of his body.

The purple bars before him didn't surprise him either. It was curious that after having avoided being in a cell for so many vorns, he had suddenly became such a recurrent visitor, although he knew that, in contrast to the Autobots' brig, there was no hope inside a Decepticon prison.

A soft metallic sound to his left made him turn abruptly, scratching his wings against the wall. A small rectangular form that had been hidden in the darkness jumped into his cell and transformed, expanding its size to the form of Reflector. Thundercracker wasn't sure about what to expect. He had never had a bad relationship with the triplet camera former, but ever since he had become a figure of hate to every Decepticon alive, he couldn't be sure of anything anymore.

Reflector himself dissipated all his doubts with a serene, friendly expression. "Sorry if I scared you, I'm not supposed to be here. It's a restricted area."

Some good news. At least it wouldn't be easy for others to go and beat the slag out of him, not that Thundercracker cared anymore…

"Where are we?" he asked, although he already feared the answer.

"Darkmount. You were brought here by Shockwave's drones. You were almost terminated when he ordered that you be put inside a Cryogenic Restoration Chamber. Nobody thought you'd survive, to tell you the truth."

That brought a very painful memory, much worse than any physical damage. "What happened to Skywarp?"

"He's being disciplined right now as we speak, although I overheard Shockwave saying that he wouldn't be terminated. Megatron needs as many functional soldiers as he can get. Things are getting pretty rough out there."

Thundercracker frowned. Even though his old friend had almost delivered him the final shutdown, the thought of Skywarp receiving Shockwave's 'discipline' was not welcome. He hated himself. Skywarp had been the only mech besides his father that had ever cared about him, and now he was paying the price. For a moment he deeply regretted his miraculous survival. Just for what he had done to Skywarp, he deserved to die. And Skywarp would have had all the right to kill him. Once again, destiny showed him its cruel smirk.

"What's the situation?" he asked somberly.

"The Autobots attacked us with all they have after you were taken down by Skywarp. I never saw them so furious, that I tell you… but Megatron managed to contain them."

"Where is Megatron right now?"

"At the frontier of Polyhex. He has been battling the Autobot elite troops for almost two cycles, but the word is that he will return at the end of the cycle… to execute you."

So the countdown that had started the day he left the Nemesis was about to reach its end… Thundercracker smirked, self-pitying himself. Skywarp had been right; he was the ultimate prankster, and he would be until the end of his life.

"Listen, I…" Reflector said, visibly uncomfortable. "I really would like to do something for you, TC. You always were kind to me… I was planning to help you escape, but…"

"Save it. I perfectly know how guarded this place is. You should go now, shortstuff. If you are caught down here you will be in trouble."

Reflector bowed his head, staring uneasily outside the cell. "Still, I would like to do something for you," he said, subspacing an energon cube and bringing it to Thundercracker's face. "Here, drink this. It's Mixmaster's special high grade. It will knock you out so much that you won't feel a thing when your moment comes."

Thundercracker smiled softly and averted his head. "No… thank you, but no. I prefer to face whatever waits for me with the remains of my dignity intact."

"But… TC, Megatron will execute you himself! He'll make an example out of you!"

"I know. In a way I'm glad that this is about to end… Go now, Reflector. I really appreciate what you are trying to do for me, but you better leave me alone. Trust me, there's nothing you can do, and it is better for you to stay out of all this."

Reflector nodded, sadness evident on his facial features. Thundercracker felt sorry for him. Due to his smaller size and calm nature, Reflector was a favorite target for every Decepticon who liked to abuse anybody smaller than him; in other words, practically the entire army had used the triplet camera former to vent their frustrations at least once in their lives. That was a situation that would never happen within the Autobots. They had a code of honour based on respect and not on convenience. How different things would have been for him if he had stayed where he had belonged once…

"Thundercracker…"

He blinked his optics and stared at Reflector. Suddenly he had forgotten he was still there.

"The… the Autobots…" the smaller Decepticon continued. "They have been trying to rescue you ever since Skywarp took you down. They seem determined to save you… they must really consider you one of their own. I thought you would like to know that before… you know."

Shame assaulted Thundercracker's processor so painfully that he felt his legs shivering.

"They were good to you, right, TC? If things had been different, perhaps I would have joined you… Sometimes I can't stand being here anymore—"

"Stop," Thundercracker said. "You shouldn't be telling me this. These walls can hear. Disregard those thoughts for now. The frontiers of high treason are very blurry at the moment, and you don't want to be caught in the middle. Leave now, Reflector. I appreciate your company but I prefer to be alone."

Reflector opened his mouth to reply but no sound came out of his vocalizer. Suddenly out of words, he seemed to slump before transforming to his camera mode and jolted out of the cell.

* * *

"Increase potency to level five. Maintain energy flow for three point five astro seconds," Shockwave said.

His face was illuminated by the tremendous flash before him, just as the smell of burned circuits spread through the small room.

Oblivious to the glimmer of satisfaction on Vortex's optic visor, Shockwave contemplated with absolute coldness the scene before him. He had neither hate nor pity for the mech who was hanging flaccid from the chains attached to the ceiling. Shockwave was only applying the Decepticon code with the same efficiency he would have applied any other measure.

Skywarp had stopped shouting half a breem ago and only groaned in pain every once in a while, apparently trying to restrain his vocalizer from expressing his suffering or perhaps too exhausted to complain. Surprisingly, despite his erratic personality and the way in which culprits behaved when they were in his case, the Seeker hadn't cursed or threatened his punishers, even less assumed a position of false courage. He hadn't even resisted when he had been captured, accepting the violation he had committed and his consequential punishment. Whatever reasons he had for such behavior were not of Shockwave's interest, but suppressing the element of resistance had saved a great amount of time that was now being used in the current torture session.

"Right wing tip. Change to level four," he intoned.

Vortex chuckled as he snapped the electrical whip before brutally lashing the specified spot. Skywarp couldn't avoid crying in pain when the sharp edge of the device clawed around the tip of his wing and released thousands of volts in one of the most sensitive parts of his body. Shockwave nodded slightly, approving both the punishment and the result.

"Can I change to level five?" Vortex asked him. "Four is too soft."

"Negative. Repeat process on the left wing."

Skywarp's suffering was meaningless to Shockwave. The only reason for his presence there was to keep Vortex under control. The Decepticon sub Commander knew perfectly well that, if left alone with a prisoner, the Combaticon interrogator would kill him or leave him permanently incapacitated after a long and meticulous torture session. Although he was excellent in his function, Vortex was emotional and illogical, both weaknesses leading him to a total loss of control when he was focused on inflicting damage.

Megatron had commanded Shockwave to give Skywarp a proper punishment for his fault, but to keep him functional and in conditions suitable for battle protocol. With the loss of two Seekers from the Elite Trine, the one remaining would be very important in Megatron's final offensive against the Autobots, the one which would allow the Decepticons to gain control over Iacon. Shockwave obeyed, but also agreed with his Commander's decision. It would have been illogical to terminate one of the best soldiers of the Empire, but logic also dictated that his transgression had to be properly dealt with.

He had also obeyed Megatron's order of repairing the agonizing Thundercracker as soon as he had been brought to Darkmount. Once he had known there was a hope of salvation for the deserter, Megatron had emphasized the importance of repairing him. Shockwave hadn't found any logic in such an order. Thundercracker was a traitor and his use for the Decepticon Empire terminated. Even if he were to be reprogrammed, he would never be an efficient soldier as he had been once. Destroying him would have been the logical choice, especially because it was proving to be very hard to contain the Autobots' efforts to rescue him. Loyal as he was, Shockwave internally questioned his leader's decision, emotional and futile. Megatron wanted to terminate the traitor by himself, but that would only represent the loss of time and resources, and Shockwave knew better than anybody the big obstacle that emotions such as anger and revenge could mean when fighting a war.

A small explosion on Skywarp's left wing sent a torrent of sparks toward Shockwave's chest.

"Your orders were to remain on level four. Disobey again and you will face the consequences."

"Sorry, I got a little excited," Vortex said, retiring the whip from his victim but making sure to release a mild electrical shock through his neck in the process.

It wasn't annoyance, but a slight disturbance that Shockwave's processor computed. The Combaticons were disloyal and presumptuous, and Vortex in particular was defective in more ways than one, but he was the best at inflicting pain, and Megatron had specifically ordered that Skywarp had to understand his lesson.

"Enough," Shockwave coldly said when Vortex raised his arm and was about to lash his victim again.

"What the… but I'm barely starting!"

"Take the prisoner to the brig."

"Oh, come on! Just give me one more breem and I'll show this slagger the real meaning of pain."

"Negative."

Vortex threw the whip away with frustration, but recovered his good humour almost immediately. "Can I have some fun with him at least? I could always use a Seeker as my pleasure toy, so could my team mates." he said, grabbing Skywarp's chin and shaking it roughly. Skywarp was so weakened that didn't resist.

"Negative. Failure in fulfilling your orders strictly will result in your immediate termination."

"Alright, alright… You're such a spoilsport, Cyclops."

A tingle of anger must have been what shone on Shockwave's only optic, because Vortex hurried to liberate Skywarp from the chains.

* * *

He had remained online the entire fragging time, as much as he had hoped that the torture session would force him into stasis lock. He wanted so much to sink into oblivion, not because of the physical pain, but because he was tired... of everything.

However, everything was blurry; his optical sensors certainly had been affected by the severe electric shocks he had received. He recalled Vortex lashing him in the head three, perhaps four times, always following Shockwave's command. But he couldn't care less about his deficient vision; every part of his body ached, every one of his systems complaining about the mistreatment received. Skywarp remembered he had witnessed – even applied it a couple of times – such kind of punishment to Autobot prisoners. It had been so amusing to see them twitch and cry, but now that he had been on the receiving end, he wasn't sure it was funny anymore.

All he could see was the floor as he was dragged by his arms by Vortex and Brawl. He could hear a screeching sound behind him, accompanying him during one of the most humiliating moments he could remember. It didn't take long for him to realize it was the sound of his own legs scratching the floor.

"Hey flyboy, are you awake down there?" Vortex asked.

"He certainly is, although quite fried. I didn't know you smoke, Warpo," Brawl mocked, referring to the small clouds of smoke that were coming out from Skywarp's wounds.

A strong hit to his head made him groan in pain. "Yep, he's online," Vortex said. "Listen slag head, what happened back there was just a little taste of what's coming to you. You will pay for what you did to us back in that forest. Combaticons never forget, and always have revenge. Remember that."

Skywarp grimaced. "F… frag you…"

Brawl burst into laughter. "Good idea. Frag it will be. Now that both your trinemates are history, we may allow you to become our pleasure drone. How would you like that?"

Skywarp didn't reply. He was too weakened but even more tired of the entire situation. All he wanted was to off line for a millennium and forget everything about former friends that had become traitors, dead Air Commanders and perverted Combaticons. How he hated his life.

When the lights on the floor turned into shadows he knew they had arrived at the brig. Brawl and Vortex continued dragging him towards the end of the narrow corridor. In a way Skywarp was thankful. At least he would be thrown there and would be left alone for a while.

But his expectations were severed when his captors abruptly stopped.

"Let's throw him in this one. I'm sure he'll appreciate his lover's company."

Skywarp wasn't sure who had spoken. At that point it didn't matter if it had been Vortex or Brawl; all he felt was the hard floor welcoming him as he was thrown inside a cell with absolutely no delicacy. He turned around and realized that his vision had almost returned to its normal status, as the clear sight of the purple bars before him proved, but that wasn't what caught his attention. His optics focused on the figure that was in the cell in front of his own.

"Play nice, boys," Brawl said. "Let's go, 'Tex. The lovebirds will need some time alone."

The echo of the Combaticons' laughter reverberated in Skywarp's audios as he managed to push himself to his hands and knees. He was so confused and dizzy that for a moment he thought he was about to purge his fuel tanks.

"Why… does everybody think we're slaggin' involved…?" he muttered weakly, not really realizing what he was saying.

"Beats me," Thundercracker answered somberly from the opposite cell. "The Autobots assumed it too."

Skywarp's optics narrowed with hate, his processor recovered enough to acknowledge the one he was talking to.

"I know one thing," he hissed, his vocalizer trembling with rancor. "I'd interface with a Sharkticon before even touching you."

He saw Thundercracker standing up within the purple glow of the bars. "Unless said touch were meant to kill me. Wasn't that what you were trying to do back in the Coliseum? What were you trying to prove?"

Skywarp started to shiver as fury ran freely through his systems. The truth was that not even he knew the answer to that question. "You… you betrayed the Decepticon cause! Killing you was not only logical but my duty!"

Despite the semi darkness, Skywarp could see the pain reflected on his former friend's face plates. "That's not you talking…"

He clenched his fists. "Well, it is me, TC! You have no right to say slag about me, you don't even slaggin' know me!"

Skywarp tried to get up but his legs refused to sustain him and he hit the floor again. He cursed his self-repair circuits, not fast enough as to provide him with some dignity. It would take some breems for him to recover completely. Shockwave had made sure to inflict him considerable amounts of pain with minimal physical damage. Certainly, he was expected to fight the Autobots the next cycle, perhaps even sooner.

"How damaged you are?" he heard Thundercracker asking him.

"How much do you think, genius? I just spent some quality time with an energy whip frying my aft, and not in the kinky way I usually like… Frag, what do you care, anyway?" Skywarp spat, grimacing and crawling toward the back of the cell. By then he had already understood that there was no point in trying to keep his dignity, but he wanted to be as far away as he could from Thundercracker, no matter if there were two sets of energon bars separating them.

"I'm sorry, 'Warp," he heard after a dense silence.

Sharp pain stabbed his spark. Starscream had been right by accusing him of sentimentalism.

Thundercracker spoke again. "I should have trusted in you. All this… could have been avoided."

Anger should have fuelled his self-repair circuits, because Thundercracker hadn't finished speaking when Skywarp was already on his feet. "You're damn right you should have trusted in me! I would have listened to you, you know? I would have, slaggit! No matter how much slag came from your pit-spawned Autobot processor, I would have listened to you! What? Did you think I was going to denounce you? You should have known me better than that, you idiot! I would have never betrayed you, never! And guess what happened? You had no problems in betraying me!"

Skywarp knew that expression on Thundercracker's face. He had seen it several times before, every time his former friend had hated himself for something he considered dishonorable. And Thundercracker hated himself now. It served him right.

"I was trying to protect you… If you were associated with what was happening to me, you would have been measured in the same way as me. Now I see my mistake, but in the moment I couldn't act otherwise. I thought I couldn't…"

"Oh, just spare me from more mushy slag, would you? In the end, whatever you thought was completely useless! See it for yourself! You went to unleash your good guy side with the Autobots and yet you ended up here, in a Decepticon brig and about to be slagged by Megatron himself! It was always about you, wasn't it TC? You always stayed behind, hiding in your never-ending inner conflicts and preaching to me every time I did something you considered dishonorable, and suddenly you decided to explore your slaggin' Autobot origins no matter who you slagged in the process. Look at us now! Look at our trine! My rank is lower than the slaggin' floor right now, and Screamer is dead. Dead! Somehow I knew what was going to happen in that arena, but I never thought you would really kill him. Slag you! We matured with that slagger, we became warriors together! He may have been a sparkless son of a glitch but he never betrayed us! He was our brother, and now thanks to you he's dust!"

Skywarp knew that he was being highly illogical – even unfair – by speaking like that, considering it had been he who had interfered in a private duel favoring the one he was cursing right now, but he didn't care. He didn't care anymore about anything; he still had one thing left to say.

"I know one thing… Today, when Megatron terminates you, I am one who will feel satisfied."

His words had the desired effect. Skywarp contemplated with a mixture of regret and satisfaction how his ex wingmate stepped back in his cell, overwhelmed not by the weight of the inhibitor claw but by the words of the one he still called brother.

Another uncomfortable silence followed. And once again it was Thundercracker who ended it.

"If you want satisfaction so much, why don't you teleport into my cell and finish me off? You're not even handcuffed. Your abilities and your weapons must be completely functional."

Skywarp snorted. "You are not worth it, you are less than junk. Besides, unlike you, I'm a _true_ Decepticon. I accept the consequences of my mistakes, and if I have to remain in this cell having my aft fried for the eternity, so be it."

Now that had been too dramatic, but suddenly everything had turned into such a joke that Skywarp was beyond self-embarrassment.

"You know…" Thundercracker said. "If you would kill me, I would accept it. You have all the right. I did betray you, I started to betray you the moment I tried to keep you out of all this. And I should have known better. After all, it was you who always stood by me, it was you who saved my life countless times, even when it was against everything you believed. It is true… as my brother, you would have understood."

"I don't count traitors among my brethren. You built your own crypt, TC. It won't be me who will give you the kill shot, but I won't grieve when it happens."

Thundercracker leaned on the wall behind him and sat as he could on the floor. "Fortunately you didn't kill me, 'Warp. You would have regretted it."

Despite his rancor, Skywarp couldn't help but feel invaded by confusion. He tried to look for a threat in his former friend's words, but all he found was sadness and shame.

Steps at the entrance of the brig caught Skywarp's attention. He recognized fear, and he hated himself for feeling it, because he didn't fear for himself. The moment for a traitor to face his destiny had arrived, and he would witness it from behind, unable to do anything due to his loyalty but also to his weakness. Life was so slaggin' illogical indeed.

The newcomer walked with majesty, his entrance not discreet neither presumptuous. One single optic shinning and a bulky figure stood before Thundercracker's cell, glancing at the prisoner with the coldness that defined his personality.

"You were brought here in stasis lock, your primary functions destroyed and your spark almost terminated. You spent two solar cycles in a Cryogenic Restoration Chamber, in which 97.83% of your damage was repaired."

Thundercracker glanced at Shockwave with boredom, not paying any attention to Thrust and Dirge, who were standing at his side. "I see. Should I be grateful?" he asked curtly.

Skywarp repressed the need to teleport into the blasted glitch-head's cell and punch some sense into him. When involved in a serious situation, one didn't fool around with Shockwave, never. The Decepticon sub Commander was never impulsive, and for the same reason brutally destroying another mech meant the same to him as pressing a button on the console of a computer.

"Lord Megatron has returned and has demanded your presence," Shockwave intoned with the same emotion he would have when giving an instruction to a maintenance drone.

"In other words, you better make peace with your creator because you'll be facing him today," Thrust sneered.

Thundercracker didn't reply, he didn't even move when the bars disappeared and Dirge and Thrust grabbed him by the arms and forced him to stand up. Skywarp's body moved by itself and suddenly he was one cyber inch behind the purple bars of his own cell, consciously realizing that that was the last time he would see the one mech he ever called a friend alive.

But his angst mutated soon, as Shockwave turned around and faced him. "Your presence has been requested too. Follow us to the Command Centre."

The bars disappeared and Skywarp stepped out of the cell, dragging his feet behind the group that preceded him. He was surprised by the weakness he was feeling. With his systems returned to normal status after his self-repairing circuits had done their job, there was no reason to feel that way. Once again, the deceased Starscream continued to be right. Skywarp wanted to kill Thundercracker and yet he also wanted to save him… what a pathetic creature he was indeed.

* * *

A raw torrent of emotions invaded Thundercracker's spark as soon as he faced Megatron again. The optics of his former leader pierced him like swords, as a malicious smirk formed on the Decepticon Commander's face plates. Thundercracker managed to avoid staggering; he knew what was coming, he had known it since the very first moment he had left the Nemesis one anonymous stormy night. In the end, it all had come into this; himself being his own executioner.

He was oblivious to the insults and the fists that rose toward his face as he walked between the two lines of Decepticons, former brethren calling for his destruction. Once again comparisons did their damage. He wouldn't see such an image in the Ark; the Autobots were no strangers to forgiveness. But, as he well knew, even forgiveness had boundaries.

He arrived at the end of his journey.

"So the wayward Seeker returns," Megatron mocked as Dirge and Thrust placed Thundercracker before him.

Dirge started to force Thundercracker to his knees but Megatron stopped him with an abrupt wave of his hand.

"Release him and step back!" he commanded. "Decepticons, don't you ever forget what is about to happen. Record it in your memory banks because today will be an important day for the Decepticon Empire!"

Absolute silence took over. Thundercracker stared at his leader and didn't flinch when Megatron's arm drew close to him, fusion cannon shining deadly. He didn't flinch either when the powerful hand before him grabbed his shoulder.

Pain didn't came, only a rough, yet gentle, grip.

"You did well, Thundercracker, you did _very_ well. You have made your leader proud, but it's time for you to step out of the shadows. Your undercover mission is over, my loyal soldier. I salute you with respect and I welcome you back into the Decepticon ranks."

Thundercracker bowed his head, indifferent to the murmurs of astonishment behind him. He forced himself to lock up his feelings as he said the words that his processor had learned too well.

"I live to serve you, Lord Megatron."

_To be continued._

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_I have only one word for you, my dear readers: GOTCHA!_

_Kudos and high grade Energon for those of you who suspected the truth. I gave a few hints every now and then, and now you should be realizing the real reason why TC was so conflicted during most of the story._

_But don't think this is over. We still have a few roads to travel and some surprises too. Stay around, and please let me know your opinions._


	36. Where nightmares dare

_I hope you are already recovered from the bucket of cold water I threw to your faces. Sorry about that, but I had that twist prepared since the beginning of this story. As a matter of fact, I confess that some scenes that I conveniently kept hidden were going to be included in their respective timing, so you guys would have known what was happening since chapter 6, but at the end I decided to try the other way and postpone the bomb._

_This update will include one of those scenes, which happened precisely during that sixth chapter. I'm hoping that the pieces of the puzzle will click easily, helped by the hints I threw in previous chapters. If you have any doubts, another read at the dialogue that Megatron had with Thundercracker during their fight may provide some light._

_Many bear hugs to iratepirate for the prompt beta reading. _

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* * *

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**Chapter 36**

**Where nightmares dare**

It took Skywarp exactly one astro second to realize that he didn't know anything about nightmares after all. That had to be the worst one, the ultimate prank that existence could deliver to a mech that once had thought he knew everything about mockery.

He didn't turn to whoever was standing around him to look for an explanation, he didn't join the chorus of voices that were expressing their confusion through vulgar _'what the slags'_… He just stepped back, one step after the other, agape and unable to pronounce a word. Had the Universe gone mad?

What was he supposed to do? _Laugh,_ his joke of a processor commanded him, _laugh like a lunatic and don't you ever dare to stop._ Unfortunately he didn't feel like laughing, not even at himself.

One step more and he hit something… _someone._

He turned around and found the smirking face of a ghost.

"What's the matter, Skywarp?" Starscream asked. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

* * *

_Earth, Nemesis Decepticon Headquarters, forty two days ago._

The door hissed open before Starscream, who entered the room with the same familiarity he would have entered his own quarters.

"Did you forget to lock your door again, Megatron? You should be more careful. You never know who is lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to assassinate you."

"I would consider being more careful if there was one single mech in this base who could actually be a threat to me," Megatron replied, his attention focused on the screen of the computer before him.

Starscream smirked at the low hit. There was no such a thing as a perfect day without an exchange of subtle and not so subtle insults with his leader. He walked towards Megatron but he stopped when he saw the Cybertronian Scimitar lying on the floor.

"Were you remembering your old days of glory, leader? Age is making you untidy. Next time you should remember to pick up your toys," Starscream sneered as he seized the weapon and lifted it. He could immediately feel the energy flowing through the weapon; ancient perhaps, but always ready to harvest sparks.

Megatron turned around and faced his Second in Command. "Are you mech enough to use that scimitar, Starscream?" he said, smirking. "Go on… give it a try, I dare you."

For a moment, Starscream considered attacking his leader. Megatron was not carrying his fusion cannon and perhaps, only perhaps, Starscream would have the upper hand for once.

But he dismissed the thought. Thousands of vorns of challenging the Supreme Commander of the Decepticons had taught some things to Starscream, even though he forget them very often. He smiled and returned the scimitar to the two small supports at the back of the room.

"Not today, mighty leader, maybe some other time. I don't exactly enjoy being your sparring partner. Besides, I see that this scimitar has done enough damage already."

Megatron glanced at the wound on his chest plates, underestimating it with a grimace of contempt. "This is nothing. I admit, though, that Thundercracker's battle performance surprised me. Are you certain that he never received gladiatorial training?"

"Completely. I've had that dolt in my flying unit since we were cadets and he was instructed under the Seeker's combat protocol like the rest of us. It actually surprises me that he had any idea of how to even hold a Cybertronian Scimitar."

"Courage is the biggest weapon, Starscream, the one thing that can surpass experience, but I'm afraid that is something completely beyond your understanding."

Starscream smirked. "I hate to think how low my self-esteem would be without your continuous support, Megatron… But enough with the nonsense. Where's our favorite traitor right now?"

Megatron pointed toward a blinking dot on the computer screen. "Leaving the base right as we speak. Soundwave made sure to keep the way clear for him."

"So your telepath drone can be useful sometimes… But what about Thundercracker? What did you tell him?"

"Nothing."

Starscream frowned. "What do you mean _nothing?"_

"Exactly that. Nothing."

"But… do you mean you actually let him go without a word? How could you be so stupid? After everything I did to stage this…"

"_Try bending the tip first, Onslaught? _Yes, Starscream, I can see how hard you worked to stage your little lynching."

"I had everything completely under control, Megatron! Do you think I would have allowed Onslaught or anybody else to seriously damage my own wingmate? I would have intervened if I had realized his life was in danger!"

"Which would have happened without my intervention. You may think you were giving Thundercracker a lesson, but all you did was prove how much of an immature and capricious child you are. You accuse me of stupidity but it is you who can't see beyond your nose, you fool. Contrary to your self-indulgent plan, I decided to face Thundercracker with a real challenge. I gave him an ultimatum, although not in the shape of words. Knowing his intelligence, I have no doubt that he read between my lines. His loyalty, on the other hand, is yet to be proved."

Starscream narrowed his optics and folded his arms across his chest. "So you actually gave him the right to choose… I have to confess that sometimes I don't understand you, Megatron. It would have been much easier to give him the order and the instructions for his undercover mission."

"Easy exits are proper of strutless cowards like you. But when we are speaking about the opportunity to take the decisive step towards our complete victory over the Autobots, the last thing I need is a mirage. Thundercracker needs to understand who he is and what he wants. When he does that, it will be the day in which the Autobots will start to fall."

Starscream snorted. "You seem very confident. Have you ever considered that Thundercracker could actually choose the other way? He is Autobot by creation, after all."

Megatron sat on the chair before the computer. "He is an Autobot who saw the lies of his kind and decided to do something about it. Don't forget that he chose to be a Decepticon, and that he fought willingly as one for all these vorns. As you know perfectly, trust is the biggest enemy of any mech, but for once I will rely on such enemy. I have been observing Thundercracker long before you started to notice his personality flaws, and I'm certain that he will stay with us, _his kind, _when the moment to decide his alliance comes. As much as he questions the Decepticon cause, he belongs to it as much as any of us do."

"Beware, Megatron. He may discover that the place where he belongs is a very different one. Sending him to the Ark was a very bold move. It might be a double-edged sword."

"You can't expect to win an important battle without risks. Double-edged swords can be suicidal in the hands of the wrong carrier, but if handled properly, they are much more effective than ordinary swords."

"Spoken like a true Gladiator… But you are forgetting the Autobot factor. What if Prime doesn't grant Thundercracker protection? There's a pending death sentence against him, if you recall the recent incident on Cybertron, not to mention that he's part of my trine, which has damaged the Autobots more than any other Decepticon squad. They won't receive him with open arms."

Megatron burst into laughter. "Know your enemy first, Starscream, and conquer him later! The Autobots are weak, starting with the fact that the one who leads them is a soft-sparked fool. I know Prime, and I know that he will grant Thundercracker mercy no matter how many Autobots he has slaughtered in the past. And I also know Thundercracker very well; I have no doubt that he will manage to trick those loathsome losers to believe in him. He has their honour code in his programming, after all, and they will trust him, no matter how many grudges are held in the middle. I never thought it would be such a big advantage to have an _Autobot _among our ranks."

"I hope you are right… or I will have lost my best wingmate because of you and your foolish plans! All I wanted was to give Thundercracker a lesson and suddenly you turned him into the instrument of our victory. Sometimes I can't tell whether you are a lunatic or a genius."

Megatron laughed almost candidly. "Watch and learn, Starscream. How could you even dream about overthrowing me when you can't even tell your enemies from your own wingmates? There is no doubt that you are still very far from commanding even a drone parade."

"Ha, ha… Is this the moment in which I'm supposed to laugh, Megatron? Whatever… If your suppositions are correct, then we should be expecting a signal from Thundercracker anytime soon."

"I ordered Soundwave to maintain a very strict vigilance on all our radio frequencies. I don't want Thundercracker's call to be overheard by the wrong audios."

"You insist on keeping this matter from our fellow Decepticons…"

"We must, now more than ever. In order to fool your enemies, you have to fool your allies first. Only Soundwave, you and I will know the truth; perhaps not even Thundercracker has realized what I want from him yet, but he'll figure it out by himself. As for the rest of our Decepticon brethren, it's better for them to believe that Thundercracker is a traitor. I will give word to hunt him. It's up to you to prevent said hunting from succeeding."

Starscream grimaced. "Great. Once again you give me the easy part… as easy as stopping the entire Decepticon forces on Earth from tearing him apart."

"As my Second in Command, that's the least you could do. But for once I'll make it easier for you, Starscream. I will order most of our troops to return to Cybertron with me to counterattack the offensive Prime will start once Thundercracker gives them the classified information I know he will give them. Then we will have a very clear message on his part."

"You _really_ are relying on trust this time, aren't you leader? It's somehow scary… I'm sorry to break your bubble again, but have you thought that Thundercracker could actually direct the Autobots to your most precious secret bases and arsenals all over Cybertron? You are so certain that he will send them to our less important facilities that you are making me doubt your sanity, if you ever had it, that is."

"I trust that Thundercracker will do the right thing indeed, but you don't know me at all if you think I will leave our most valuable assets unprotected. I have the rest of the night to order Shockwave to change the locations of our main facilities, all without letting him know the real reason. The Autobots will move once they get what they want from Thundercracker, and so will we."

"You have thought about everything, I can see… As to if it works, I'm afraid that's a very different matter."

"I have no doubt it will work. There are times in which you actually have to rely on others, something that, of course, I could never do with you."

Starscream shot his leader his best glare of hate. "Well, thank you very much, Megatron. And since you have everything figured it out, allow me, poor servant of yours –as unworthy of your trust as I am – to go and do some brainwashing among our troops. As perhaps your rusted processor allowed you to realize, they will need to know that you and I had some kind of confrontation after the incident tonight. You would never leave any insubordination on my account unpunished, as much as we differ on the meaning of that word."

"Oh, you would be surprised by how much this rusted processor of mine allows me to realize. I had thought about that indeed. As a matter of fact, I agree with you, Starscream. _My _troops will need proof of such a confrontation, and tell me, poor servant of mine, what kind of corrective do I grant you every time you make a mistake?"

There it was, the uncomfortable sting in Starscream's spark… Slag, how he hated it when his self-confidence vanished with a single word from his leader. Damn Megatron and double damn the immense power he had over him…

"Uh… but that's not the current case… We planned this together… All I did was follow your command, mighty leader."

Megatron stood from his chair, his smirk as threatening as his glance. "What did I tell you about fooling our allies? Realism, Starscream, such is the key word. A mech believes what he sees with his optics."

Starscream started to step back. "B-but there is no need to get violent here… Look, Megatron, perhaps if I spend some days in the brig?"

"Stop being such a cowardly whelp and behave like a warrior for once! I feel generous today and I will do my best to keep your limbs attached to your frame. Is that enough for you, little coward? I'm not even using my fusion canon."

"But I just got my paintjob done after you thought it would be amusing to challenge the resistance of your walls with my head… You really enjoy doing this, don't you?"

Megatron laughed. "Do you ready need to ask that? Countdown is ticking, clown. Attack me now while you still can, because if I start we both know this will be a very fast fight. Come on, Starscream, I promise I will be gentle… sort of."

Starscream sighed but he finally made up his mind. He pounced at Megatron with all his strength and was received with a powerful blow to his face. He hated Megatron, he deeply hated him… but not as much as he hated himself for always giving up to his leader's sick games. Perhaps he was even sicker.

* * *

_Cybertron, Decepticon fortress of Darkmount, current time._

Starscream… there he was, alive and perfectly functional, although it seemed that he too had spent some time in a Cryogenic Restoration Chamber.

Skywarp tried to speak. He wanted to speak, if only to find something that he could relate to reality. But Starscream didn't give him time. He seemed to realize his wingmate's confusion and shook his head, chuckling slightly.

"You are such a moronic hard-head," Starscream said as he grabbed Skywarp's arm and dragged him forward, where Megatron was still squeezing Thundercracker's shoulder affectionately.

The sea of confused Decepticons opened for their Air Commander, all of them staring at him as they would have stared at any other mech recently returned from the dead.

"Screamer… what the heck…" Rumble muttered, stepping back and falling on his aft.

"What? Did you dolts actually believe that Thundercracker could take me down in a fight? Please! Any mech with five petra-cycles per second of brain activity would have noticed the fight was a masquerade."

"Ah, Starscream," Megatron addressed his Second in Command with a mocking glance. "I was wondering when you would join us. Come and greet your Decepticon brother as he deserves."

Starscream narrowed his optics and released Skywarp's arm. "I better not give him what he deserves, or I would have to shoot him right between the optics… Welcome back, _brother. _How nice to see you back in the nest…Would you mind explaining to me now what that _Jet judo _slag was all about? I think you forgot to let me know about that slight detail when we planned our duel."

Thundercracker shot him an equally friendly glare. "Just as you forgot to mention your newest upgrades... I was expecting you to have some surprises up your afterburners, but _swords_ Starscream? I guess the one that almost pierced my spark chamber was an ugly mistake on your part."

"If you hadn't come up with that dirty Autobot trick, I would've targeted your shoulder instead. You know perfectly well that I hate that slagging maneuver as much as I hate the ones who created it! Think about it next time you try to play the smart aft with me!"

"B-b-but… what's the meaning of all this…? Lord Megatron, sir…" Thrust stammered, watching the scene before him with wide optics, just like the rest of the Decepticons gathered.

"This means that our fellow Decepticon Thundercracker has returned to his home," Megatron said, addressing his troops. "Further details will be made public soon, but in the meantime you must know that Thundercracker tricked the Autobots to believe he had deserted the Decepticon Army, giving us the time and resources to infiltrate the very classified data banks of Teletraan I, whilst at the same time he provided the enemy false information about our warfare assets on Cybertron, slowly guiding them into a trap. As you know, in this precise moment the Autobots are at the frontiers of Polyhex, thinking they are about to gain the upper hand in our millenary conflict, but little do they know that the situation will be the complete opposite. The high price of their blind trust is about to explode in their faces, and at the end of this solar cycle it will be us who stand victorious at the very center of their stronghold. Yes, my Decepticon brethren, today is the day we harness Iacon!"

Astonishment turned into frenzy, a massive mutation that Megatron had been a master in achieving since the early days in which he had become the leader and symbol of the anger of thousands of Cybertronians.

"Shockwave, send a codified message to all my Decepticons and update them on the news," Megatron said, making himself heard above the shouting. "Any violent actions against Thundercracker will be considered high treason and punished as such. There is no place for personal grudges between warriors. As for you, Thundercracker, you will fight beside me today. You have gained the right to stand victorious above the ashes of the Autobots more than anybody else."

"Your trust is highly appreciated, my Lord," Thundercracker said, foreign to the excitement of his comrades.

Megatron turned to his Second in Command. "You have your orders, Starscream. Meet me at the rendezvous point and make sure to keep your wingmates under control. I almost lost a valuable warrior because of _this one!"_

Skywarp lowered his head, unable to stand the furious glare that Megatron shot him. Apologies were out of order; his spark was computing feelings far beyond embarrassment. Revolting among his troubled processor, anger and disappointment were claiming their righteous place.

"Decepticons!" Megatron shouted, addressing all his troops again. "March to Iacon and claim it for our Empire! Take no prisoners, I want the Autobots destroyed by the end of the cycle! Fall on them like predators do prey, show no mercy!"

Once again, the group of enthusiastic Decepticons opened to welcome their leader. Thundercracker followed him, indifferent to all the glances and questions targeting him.

Right before disappearing into the crowd, he locked glances with Skywarp, the mech that had tried to kill him but also the one mech that knew every little part of his tormented spark. It was only a fleeting moment, but in that insignificant astro second Skywarp could recognize the feeling clouding the optics of his once again wingmate.

It was guilt.

_To be continued._

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_Starscream is pretty much alive; you can stop throwing eggs to my door now ;o)_

_Update coming soon. There are very few chapters remaining, but still a good amount of deviant turns in our way._

_Thanks for all your support and reviews. They mean so much to me :o)_


	37. From traitor to traitor

_Thank you very much for all your reviews, you guys rock! I'm thrilled with the great reception this fic has had :o)_

_I took a bit longer than expected to post this update, but I got a little too excited with a new fic I'm posting. But thanks to a current writing streak and the help of my beta reader iratepirate correcting my typos, I'll be delivering frequent updates of all my stories, including the most neglected ones…_

_Anyway, I hope you will enjoy this chapter, which includes another one of those infamous hidden scenes._

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**Chapter 37**

**From traitor to traitor**

An anonymous face, a mech amongst the crowd… Skywarp had never felt as invisible as he was currently feeling. Being surrounded by dozens of Seekers of his same design didn't ease the sentiment; if Vector Sigma hadn't had the caprice of sparking him with the ability to teleport, he certainly would have ended up there, cannon fodder with guns that would probably never see the Cybertronian moons again.

Thundercracker had told him his 'Gears in the machine'theory several times, but it was only until that current moment, when Skywarp felt dragged by an inertia he had never controlled, that he began to understand it. Frustration and disappointment strangely cleared the path, allowing him to realize how much of a pawn he was… how much of a pawn he had always been.

It didn't matter that he had a vastly superior rank to all those Seekers or that his probabilities of survival were considerably higher, he felt as anonymous and hopeless as the most miserable of them. Poor losers, sparked in series by a machine who had given them a function and a fate. How different were things now, after all? Wasn't that the kind of injustice that had detonated the Decepticon rebellion? Suddenly Skywarp was starting to understand that injustice wore no badges.

He was about to burst into ironic laughter, an open mockery of himself for being the ultimate loser, as he caught sight of the one mech he was looking for. He teleported to the front line and reappeared beside Starscream, who was giving instructions to one squad leader, a green Seeker whose face was destined to get lost within the crowd again, and that if he was lucky enough to survive.

"Where the slag were you?" Starscream greeted him. "We are less than one cycle from attacking Iacon and you still need to be updated on the details."

"Spare me," Skywarp spat. "We need to talk."

Starscream grimaced. "No. _You_ need to talk. I, on the other hand, am quite tired of this entire charade, not to mention that I'm very busy now, so if you excuse me…"

Skywarp grabbed Starscream's arm so tightly that he could feel metal deforming under his grip.

"You owe it to me, Starscream, you _both _do."

Starscream removed the grip of his wingmate with a brusque shake of his arm. For a moment it seemed that he would mock his wingmate's seriousness, but finally he turned toward the expectant face of the green Seeker waiting for his orders. "You stay here and organize the squads in battle formations!" he commanded, signaling Skywarp to follow him.

They entered an adjacent room, one of the many arsenals of the Darkmount fortress. "You have half a breem," Starscream said as he closed the door and leaned on the wall.

Skywarp hesitated. He had so many things to say, so much anger to vent… but he didn't know where to start. It was frustrating.

Starscream seemed to notice his predicament because he rolled his optics and folded his arms across his chest. "Out of words so soon, you fool? Alright, I'll give you a hand for once. To make things shorter, Thundercracker infiltrated the Autobots with the fairy tale of his desertion, gained their trust, helped us to overrun the safety codes of Teletraan I and guided them toward a trap. End of the story."

Skywarp frowned. Public knowledge was not what he needed to hear. "You could've told me!"

Starscream shrugged his shoulders. "Megatron's orders."

"Since when have Megatron's orders meant anything to you? You could've told me! Last time I checked I was still part of our damn trine, and I was very capable of keeping a secret of that sort!"

Starscream smirked maliciously. "Go and complain to Thundercracker. He agreed with me that you wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut."

Skywarp stammered, stepping back unconsciously. "W…what?"

"I wanted to tell you, if only to stop listening to your irritating whining, but Thundercracker decided against it."

"B-but why?"

Another shrug of shoulders and Starscream consulted his internal chronometer. "I guess that's something you'll have to ask the offender himself, don't you agree?"

"I just… don't understand… When exactly did you start to plan all this? And when did you meet with TC? He was in the Ark all this time, wasn't he?"

"We didn't plan it… not in the literal meaning of the word, at least. And no, Thundercracker wasn't in the Ark all the time. He managed to sneak out twice, although the first time he had a little help from the Autobots themselves."

"But…"

"Look, Skywarp, we can spend the entire cycle talking nonsense or we can focus on the battle to come. We have a war to win, in case you haven't noticed! With the classified information Thundercracker provided us with, even an uneducated brute like Megatron can make this victory happen. As for any personal matter still bothering you, I suggest you go and talk to the mech you almost blew to the Pit!"

Guilt turned so quickly into shame in Skywarp's processor. He had been so stupid, a mindless puppet whose strings had been moved relentlessly since the fragging charade had started and he hadn't noticed a thing. He had almost killed the only friend he ever had, and now he hated him more than ever... Skywarp shook his head furiously, suddenly acknowledging that hatred. Worse, it was disappointment, the one thing he couldn't handle, the one thing he couldn't forgive.

Shooting Thundercracker in the Kaon Coliseum had been an impulsive reaction he had regretted the very moment his cannons had released their deadly charge. But remorse wasn't there anymore when he admitted to himself that he would do it again.

Only that this time he would enjoy it.

* * *

_Cañón de la Venta, México, thirty one days ago._

Air vents exhaled, in the language of a gust of wind, the impatience of a Seeker who couldn't stand close spaces. Starscream leaned a hand on the entrance of the cave, undecided on whether to curse his claustrophobia or the dusty place in which he was being forced to wait.

Simple decision. It was actually the fact of waiting that bothered him the most.

The sound of very familiar engines approaching caught his attention, not easing his annoyance but increasing it. _You idiot, how many times do I have to tell you that you are too slagging noisy? I wouldn't be surprised if you dragged all the Autobots behind you._

Starscream leaned on the wall impatiently, the shine of his optics providing a ghostly illumination to the cave. It was then when he noticed the irregularities in the sound of the approaching turbines. Could the fool be injured?

Curiosity more than concern made him push himself off the wall to have a better look, but he had barely approached the entrance of the cave when a blue fist impacted his face so hard that it sent him jolting backwards.

"What the— Are you insane?" he cried, sitting on the ground and rubbing his sore cheek. "Why the slag did you do that?"

Thundercracker staggered and had to lean on the cave's wall to avoid falling, perhaps shaken by the brutal punch he had delivered. "You… dare to ask? It is me who should ask the questions! What in Cybertron did you think you were doing by turning the entire Nemesis crew against me? They could've killed me, you idiot!"

"All I did was give you a lesson. Didn't I warn you you'd regret it when I offered you the chance to decide and you chose to ignore me? All this could have been avoided!" Starscream hissed, getting up and shaking with fury. "You have some nerve by daring to speak to me like this, you putrid traitor! I should have you melted!"

Thundercracker shot Starscream one of those glares of hate his optics rarely delivered. "Well, I'm here! Try to melt me if you can! We have a one on one match pending, even though in your language that means having a dozen cowards backing you up."

"I'm more than able to take you down myself!" Starscream cried, pouncing at Thundercracker with the firm decision of finishing what he had started and not giving a slag for Megatron's orders.

Both Seekers clashed, threatening to make the entire cave collapse, but neither of them gave a slag for claustrophobia anymore.

The first signal came when Starscream noticed that the formerly lustrous frame of Thundercracker was already dented. The second signal was rather pathetic. The staggering, the erratic look in Thundercracker's optics, the obvious deficiency of his equilibrium chip…

Starscream grimaced with disgust and pushed Thundercracker away, renouncing the fight. The blue Seeker fell unceremoniously on his hands and knees, visibly ashamed.

"Over-energized… you of all mechs… Just look at you, you idiot! You are a disgrace to the Decepticon Army!"

Thundercracker placed a hand on a nearby boulder and tried to push himself to a standing position; he only managed to tear off some rocks. "Last time I checked… I wasn't a Decepticon anymore," he said with rancor.

Starscream smirked. "That's a piece of information that only you can clarify, I'm afraid. Or else why the slag did you make me waste my time by coming here?"

Thundercracker made another attempt to stand up but failed miserably. Starscream sighed with annoyance and grabbed him by one arm. "For the slagging Primary Program… just get up and stop embarrassing yourself! Now I understand why your turbines sounded so erratic. I'm surprised you managed to fly here in such a state."

"Slag… you," Thundercracker growled, but he allowed Starscream to help him sit on the big boulder beside him.

"Brave words considering you are the one who's more than slagged…" Starscream said, smirking as maliciously as he could. "I have never seen you this over-energized. I have to say it, Thundercracker, you surprise me. Just a few cycles in the Ark and you're already partying with the Autobots. Opposites may attract, but similar do it even better. Nice to see you found yourself a family."

Thundercracker cast him an irate look in response, which only increased Starscream's amusement.

"I didn't do this!" Thundercracker growled. "Those Autobots altered my energon!"

"And that's not all they did, considering the dents in your armour," Starscream said, running a scan on his wingmate's frame. "I'd say you took quite a beating, although I can also see that somebody took very good care of you. Ratchet, perhaps?"

The last words seemed to make Thundercracker uncomfortable. Starscream didn't want to know why, disgusted as he was by that display of sentimentality. Then he understood, the one thing that somehow he had always known about Thundercracker. It wasn't a Decepticon traitor that he had before him, but an Autobot betrayer. Which one was more disgusting?

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, folding his arms across his chest and addressing Thundercracker with one of his best looks of superiority. "I can see it as clear as crystal. You spent some time in the Ark's brig, Optimus Prime granted you mercy and the Autobots are already giving you a taste of their hospitality… did I miss something? Oh yes, are you already making friends among _your_ kind, or haven't they fallen for your charming personality yet?"

"Did you come here only to mock me?" Thundercracker said, clenching his fists and willing to restart the fight.

"As much as it pains me to say it, no. When I received your codified message thirteen breems ago, I would have thought there were things to explain, but your tacit message was more than clear, or at least that's what our dearest leader wants to believe. Otherwise, why would you give classified information to the Autobots that could be qualified as 'convenient'?"

Thundercracker's face plates reflected deep despise. "Wow… even you caught that. I'm surprised."

"Amusing. Remind me to laugh sometime later. Now tell me, do the Autobots suspect anything?"

"They do, although expect Optimus Prime to make a move on Cybertron. I suppose Megatron took precautions and changed the locations of our primary secret bases and arsenals."

"Yes, he took precautions against your latent treachery… As for Prime, we'll give him something to backup your words. Losing a couple of minor facilities and dozens of third class soldiers is something we can certainly afford…"

Disgust could be easily read on Thundercracker's face plates. "Third class soldiers that fight for the same cause you fight for. Have you ever thought about that?"

Starscream snorted. "Wars are won with sacrifices. But I expected you to come up with some sentimental slag like that. You have always been soft, _Autobot_."

Thundercracker narrowed his optics with anger but bowed his head. "I didn't request this meeting to hear your cheap talking, Starscream. All you need to know is that there will be a leak in the Autobots Security System today at 2200 terrestrial hours."

Starscream rubbed his chin and looked at his wingmate with fake interest. "Really? And why would that be?"

"I created a distraction… a duel. I dare to say that all the Autobots will be gathered at the bottom of the base. Nobody will notice an intruder."

"So Soundwave will have a fest stripping Teletraan I of its security codes… Not bad, not bad… I have to admit it, Thundercracker, sometimes you actually use your processor to think… but not that much, evidently. Just how the slag do you plan to fight the Autobots when the only thing circulating through your fuel lines right now is high grade? Fool!"

"Just make sure to get that intel and shut up! I can handle the Autobots myself."

"Right… whatever you say," Starscream hissed, brusquely grabbing Thundercracker by the chin and forcing him to raise his head. "I don't know why on Cybertron I bother, really…"

"W-what are you doing…?"

"Preventing you from ending up like a pile of junk!" Starscream said, extracting a small, fluorescent pink, crystal tube from his wrist. "Now stop whining and drink this."

"What is that?"

"The only thing in this Universe that can put an end to your shameful status. If the scan that I performed on you is accurate, the Autobots already gave you something for the pain, but there is still high grade circulating through your fuel lines. If you don't want to make a complete fool of yourself during that fight tonight, you will drink this! Whether you are still a Decepticon or not, you must fight like one!"

Starscream saw doubt in his wingmate's optics. Thundercracker had always been one distrustful slagger, perhaps because he had a lot to hide behind all his silences. Starscream, on the other hand, was one who always used distrust to his convenience, sometimes only to his amusement.

"So," he said maliciously, as Thundercracker grabbed the tube and reluctantly began to empty its contents, "is regret corroding your processor already or are you managing to fool it so far?"

Thundercracker choked, almost losing his grip on the crystal tube.

Starscream burst into laughter, satisfied with the predictable reaction. "What? Did you really expect me to believe that you willingly accepted this tacit espionage mission following your undying loyalty to the Decepticon cause? You never fooled me, Thundercracker. You never fooled anyone! Do you think that I don't know that the mere possibility of betraying the Autobots is destroying you? In how many of their optics did you recognize yourself?"

Thundercracker allowed the new agent in his fuel lines to settle before answering with a tranquility that could have passed as believable to any other mech who wasn't Starscream. "Say whatever you want. The truth is that you don't know me at all."

Starscream sneered. "I may know you better than anyone, _wingmate. _But I won't judge you; you have mastered that art with vorns of latent betrayal, I can see... Just remember that it all depends on you now. Make your choice, and choose wisely. It's a dangerous game the one you're playing."

"So is yours," Thundercracker said, standing up and shaking the excess of dust from his arms. "You must have a really sad life, Starscream, if you find all this amusing."

Starscream snorted. "Oh, I find it very amusing, that I can assure you. Megatron has beaten the slag out of me twice just to make your cover believable, and I'm close to having enough of Skywarp's whining."

Thundercracker's expression changed immediately and approached regret. The sentimental, pathetic fool…

"You didn't tell 'Warp anything, did you?"

Starscream smirked. "What would I tell him? That you are a filthy double traitor? No, not yet. If anything, I merely guided him toward the common belief."

"It's better that way," Thundercracker said somberly. "If Skywarp knew, he could compromise the entire mission."

"One of the advantages of having an idiot as a trinemate… and I'm not talking about you this time."

"Keep him away from this, Starscream… If Skywarp shows weakness, if he hesitates… everybody will fall on him like predators. He must not suspect anything at all."

"Don't worry. I already took care of that."

"I suppose I know how… by making him hate me."

Starscream smiled evilly. "Is there any other way? But forget about him. I'll take care of keeping him alive, although I can't say the same for your pathetic friendship. You should focus on what really matters here! If you lose that fight tonight, I swear I'll search the Inferno only to slag your traitorous aft, I mean it! You started this and you have to finish it! I'm risking a lot by helping you!"

Thundercracker turned around and walked toward the exit of the cave. "Unlike you, I have a word. Tell Megatron that I will give him Iacon and Optimus Prime's head. But know that this will finish soon, Starscream, and then you'll have to answer to me for insulting my honour."

Thundercracker was already in the air when Starscream approached the exit of the cave and leaned on it casually. "I'm looking forward to it, TC…"

_To be continued._

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_Another veil has fallen, and more will follow. _

_Update coming really soon! Please let me know what you think._


	38. Judgment Day, part one

_It's going to rain! And purple, it seems...  
_

_Many, really, many apologies for taking so much time to update this story. I have no excuse, so I hope you won't mind if I skip that part and get to what really matters._

_I want to deeply thank CaravanKa, Astrotrain1988 and Just War for translating, posting and printing my story 'Purple rain' to Russian. Last week there was a surprise waiting for me at my P.O. Box, I quote, 'from Siberia under soft cover' which made me immensely happy! _

_I also want to thank Elycat for the very touching mails she wrote me. I never thought that 'Deviant' and its prequel could mean so much to anybody, and I would lie if I'd say that all these wonderful people didn't inspire me to focus in this story before continuing some of my other unfinished fics._

_So I won't lie and simply thank all of you girls from the bottom of my heart :o)_

_My gratitude goes to all my readers as well. Thank you very much for your patience and please accept my apologies for keeping you guys on suspense for more than three months. I give you my word that I won't allow such a thing to happen again._

_Finally, I want to apologize for the grammar mistakes you will find in this update. My beta reader is overseas, so I'm posting this chapter without being revised. Good news is that she will come to spend two weeks with me at the end of her journey, so hopefully she will beta the final chapters of 'Deviant' and you guys won't have to suffer with my typos. _

_Okay, let's finish with these very long author's notes – for now – and let's proceed with the chapter. I take it you want to know what will happen to our favorite traitor :oP_

_One more thing, it won't hurt if you remember a certain scene, a certain nickname and a certain OC from 'Purple rain'…_

_

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**Chapter 38**

**Judgment Day**

**Part One**

When his hand positioned on the wall, Thundercracker was surprised to actually feel something against his fingers. After the attack, it seemed that the entire facility was made of smoke instead of metal. Colour grey kept sneaking through his joints, through his optics, through the very core of his spark, impregnating his life essence with a stench that was meant to stay. It made him remember the first moment in which he had questioned himself what the slag he was doing. Back then, little did he know that the question would stalk him for the millenniums to come, challenging his ability to ignore the feelings that would make him a traitor to himself.

"_In the name of the Decepticons, I claim this facility as my own! You will surrender to us or die!"_

He could hear it in the distance, the same cry of war, the same mech pronouncing the words, and yet everything was so different. Or perhaps it had never been changed; it had always been a charade, the kind that disguised slavery as freedom and violated the very basic right of life.

Those déjà vus had become so frequent in his life that Thundercracker wasn't surprised at all. He was just disgusted, especially of himself. Whoever said that ends justified the means had been the biggest slagger that ever dared to function.

A distant alarm kept sounding, every time more irregular, every time more irritating. It was the perfect companion to the smoke, and to that strange smell that insisted to get into his olfactory systems and forced him to acknowledge the devastation carried by his own hand, only that this time he had done it without shooting his weapons not even once.

He wished he had done it, though, if only to feel a little more alive. It had been him, after all, who had taken the first life.

"_Nice shot, TC, right between that Autoboob's optics! You certainly showed him!"_

"_I… I thought he was going to attack me. But what… what's the meaning of this? He_ _was no soldier!" _

"_I fail to recognize your point, Thundercracker."_

"_You knew about this, don't you Starscream? This facility was supposed to be isolated, not full of civilians!"_

"_Isolated or not, we have our orders. We have half a breem to reduce this place to shreds, so I suggest you stop whining and start acting."_

"My _orders don't include the annihilation of innocents!"_

"_Innocents? Is there any chance you are talking about these bureaucrats disguised as scientists? Do I have to remind you that these _innocents _are responsible for the automation that made thousands of miners expendable and thus reduced them to starvation and misery? Lord Megatron was very wise when he commanded us to destroy this laboratory to begin spreading his message."_

"_Screamer is right, TC, we're making some justice here. Come on, just get along and let's get this done. Glory awaits us!"_

"_Listen to Skywarp, Thundercracker, because he speaks with wisdom for once. Remember what this is all about. By the way, let me be the first one to congratulate you for inflicting the first official casualty to our enemies. One day, history will remember you as the first Decepticon who ever killed an Autobot, an honour a soft-sparked glitch like you certainly don't deserve… but I trust you will never forget it. Now move your afterburners! We have a facility to destroy and a war to start. For the glory of Megatron!"_

It was curious that he didn't remember that face anymore. That infamous first kill, the one that had baptized him with the vital fluid of another mech, another mark he would never be able to erase. He remembered the look of terror in those empty optics, though, and the way his weapons felt so heavy and disgusting against his arms.

As he kept advancing through what once had been a corridor, a curtain of blackish smoke engulfing him, Thundercracker wondered if that first Autobot he had terminated so brutally was Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's brother. He would never know for certain, but in his mind the answer would always be affirmative. It didn't matter whose weapons had ended a life that should have kept functioning, he was the one to blame, because he had washed his guilt by activating his incendiary guns again, and again, and again… In a mere astro klik he had turned into a murderer; by the end of the day he was a monster.

"Looking good, S-Seeker!"

Memories stopped torturing him, although guilt never would. Thundercracker turned around and faced the giggling Mixmaster, the same Mixmaster that had almost melted him just some solar cycles ago. The fragging lunatic… at least his insanity avoided him to hold grudges for a long time, but that thought did very little to help Thundercracker controlling his desire to have some payback time.

He managed to keep his agressive instincts away from the Constructicon, though. He had much more important priorities to attend. "Are you finished?" he asked curtly.

"Y-yeah," Mixmaster replied, not so much stuttering as he was laughing. He seemed to find hilarious the Autobot insignias that Thundercracker still had on his wings. "Bonecrusher just detonated the last charge… A-anything for the 'Con of the moment, you know?"

Thundercracker nodded, hating every moment of his sudden fame. "Gather your team and get the frag out. I'll take it from here."

Mixmaster blinked one optic twice, a nervous tic he had had since his creation, or at least that's what Thundercracker had heard. "Are you sure? We haven't secured the zone yet and you could find some Autobots," he paused to burst in laughter. "Which would mean you'd be amongst family! B-besides, Megatron told us to assist you in whatever thing you're doing d-down there."

This time, Thundercracker had to make a real effort to not shoot the Constructicon to death. "That's no longer your concern. Tell Megatron that I'll meet him at the rendezvous point. Now leave!"

"As you wish… Enjoy your fame while it lasts. Hey, and don't forget to come and see me later. I can put a nice Auto-brand on your aft, to match the ones on your wings, y-you know?"

Mixmaster's laughter ceased definitely when a blue fist half buried on his face.

* * *

"_Do I have to ask you where your loyalties are, Thundercracker?"_

"_Negative, my Lord."_

_Megatron nodded and placed the square object on Thundercracker's hand. "It all depends on you now. If Iacon falls today, it will be because of your doing."_

_He received the object and made a military salute, but said nothing. Megatron kept scrutinizing him with his fierce optics before finally sending him out with a curt nod of his head. After the tacit dismiss, Thundercracker headed towards the door._

"_And Thundercracker…"_

_He turned around._

"_Make me proud."_

* * *

He hadn't faltered, neither his hands had trembled. Disgust and pain came from inside, and there they would remain. He couldn't afford the luxury of hesitating, not even when he was alone, with nobody there to observe or judge him. He was his own witness and executioner, and his sentence wouldn't be merciful, just as his hands hadn't been when they killed for the first time.

Thundercracker sat heavily on the chair and rested his arm on the big console before him. The small light beneath kept blinking, the small reminders of what he had done illuminating his face. His decision had been made, the point of no return reached in the most dishonorable way.

Did he regret it? Yes.

Would he do it again? He wished the answer was negative.

The saddest smile sketched on his face when he realized that Decepticon victory would come from his betrayal. Heroes were some pathetic thing indeed, even less honorable than cowards. More than ever, Thundercracker was sure that he was alone on the line he was standing, isolated from any company, forced to acknowledge himself amongst that tricky curtain of smoke that others called glory.

"Thundercracker?"

He startled and turned around toward the entrance.

"Ratchet?" he heard himself speaking. That wasn't good. That hidden sub-level was supposed to be isolated. The battle was taking place on the surface of Iacon, very far away from there. But of course, Ratchet knew better. Thundercracker had obtained the information about the existence of that place precisely from the Autobot medic's computer.

"You… you are alive," Ratchet said, scanning Thundercracker's frame not as a medic would have done, but as if he wanted to make sure he was dealing with a functioning mech and not with a ghost. "We thought you were… I can't tell you how relieved I am that you're not… But who repaired you? We were sure—"

"Are you alone?" Thundercracker interrupted him, the heat of the small, blinking red light burning him like fire.

"Yes, the Decepticons are forcing us to retreat, but I had to return to stabilize the main generator… But what are you doing here? For the Primary Program, you are slagging alive! The others have been crazy trying to know what happened to you!"

Thundercracker rested his hand on his chin and remained silent as Ratchet advanced to the big machine at the bottom of the room. Could it be that the Autobots didn't know what had really happened? Was their innocence so cruel, forcing him to expose himself as the traitor he really was?

"It's useless," he said calmly. "Return to where you came from. There's nothing you can do here. Iacon is doomed."

The Autobot medic turned to stare at him again. Absolute confusion could be read within his optics.

"I planted a bomb beneath the main console," Thundercracker stared at the square object so close to him. "It will explode in exactly 4.7 breems, creating a mass effect that will spread through the electrical circuitry of the generator, literally shutting down Iacon. There will be no city left for you to defend."

Ratchet stepped back. "What… what are you saying?"

"Nothing but the truth."

"The truth? How do you dare to use that word? You betrayed us… You… you returned to the Decepticons!"

"I never left them, Ratchet."

"No… it can't be. I can't believe it… All this time you were acting and I refused to see it… Slaggit, Thundercracker! I gave you the benefit of the doubt! We all did!"

Thundercracker averted his glaze, unable to articulate a response. He could feel the look of disappointment on Ratchet's optics scorching him like a flame.

"Iacon will not fall… not because of you. Get out of my way!" Ratchet's voice sounded so hurt, so devastated. Iacon would not be the only thing Thundercracker would destroy that day.

"I said get the frag out of my way!" Ratchet cried when the Decepticon remained motionless.

When Thundercracker stared at him again, he saw the laser gun pointing toward his chest.

"The bomb can't be deactivated."

"I'll be the judge of that. Move, slaggit!"

Thundercracker slowly stood up. "You are a medic, it's not your function to fight, ever less to kill. That gun you are holding can't really hurt me."

"Is that your way to tell me that, on the other hand, you do have the firepower to blow me to pieces? Go on! You let your loyalties clear already! But there's no way I'm going to keep standing here whilst you warmongers deactivate the entire city!"

Thundercracker recognized courage. He admired it as much as he envied it. Unlike Ratchet, he had failed in defending the one thing that was precious to him.

"The city is lost. There's no use in losing your life as well. Leave, Ratchet."

Behind the disappointment and the pain reflected on Ratchet's optics, Thundercracker could see that no matter how big his betrayal had been, the Autobot medic kept refusing to consider him an enemy. He would have preferred Ratchet to hate him; it would have been less painful.

"It's not too late. Don't do this. Thundercracker, please… You are not like _them, _I know you aren't! I saw through you, slag it! I can't believe you were pretending the whole time, I refuse to believe it!"

"I am not like them indeed… I'm worse. I don't feel proud of what I did, Ratchet, but it had to be done." Thundercracker raised his right arm, his slim cannon humming. "It's already too late now. You should have left when you have the chance."

And he fired.

* * *

"_Melt… my remains."_

"_I can save you."_

"_Little Crank…"_

"_I can save you!"_

_A hand positioned on his shoulder. The tremor of the dying circuits was no obstacle for the warmth that immediately impregnated his battered body. _

"_It's not your fault." Cranker's voice sounded every astro second weaker, but despite of that, his father had never looked so sublime. Thundercracker felt like a child again. He was the dysfunctional gear, the sparkling desperately seeking for guidance more than he had ever desired a pair of wings. He had gone too far only to discover that the sky was more distant than ever._

"_Father…"_

"_You were always alone, my son… I am the only one to blame…"_

"_Don't speak like that. I betrayed you… abandoned you…"_

_The hand on his shoulder tightened its grip. And he could recognize it, the sin, the ultimate weakness, the feeling unworthy of his kind… Why was love forbidden? Because it was so painful? "You make me feel proud, little Crank… you always did."_

_He shook his head slightly, denying the words, his spark devastated by sadness and all the bittersweet lies that his creator insisted to maintain. _

"_This," the dying mech spoke, reading his mind, "is not your fault."_

_Deactivation starting to cool the frame against his, life escaping between his arms. Please don't leave me alone, please…_

"_I… I can't stand this, father. I'm not strong enough."_

_The amorous hand reached his face, warming it for the last time. "One day, little Crank… one day you will know… the right thing… to do."_

_When those last words started to reverberate through the tunnel, Thundercracker knew._

_His father was dead._

* * *

Ratchet yelped when the mild laser beam impacted his hand, making him release his gun.

Immediately, Thundercracker shot a power damper and trapped the medic's wrists.

"Agh! What are you doing?" Ratchet cried, struggling uselessly against the narrow but strong energy ties.

Thundercracker's response was grabbing him by the waist and unceremoniously positioning him over his shoulder. He could feel the Autobot's desperation the moment they abandoned the floor.

"NO! The bomb! I have to deactivate the bomb!"

Thundercracker narrowed his optics and ignited the thrusters on his feet. "I told you. It can't be deactivated."

Ratchet struggled, kicking him on midsection with the kind of strength a medic shouldn't have. Thundercracker winced but maintained his flight course. Time was against him and his chances were little considering he was flying in robot mode and with an unexpected charge, but in that moment of clarity he couldn't have acted otherwise.

_The right thing to do, the right thing to do…_

Eventually, Ratchet stopped kicking him, defeated more than exhausted, a place that Thundercracker knew too well.

He also knew something else. It wasn't too late yet. He knew exactly what he had to do, and this time he wouldn't hesitate.

He shot an obstruction at the end of the subterraneous passage and kept flying. Despite everything else, he felt hope. Perhaps Iacon was lost, but there was something else left to be saved.

For the first time in his life, he knew the exact line in which he was standing, and for the first time he saw something more than closed doors.

_To be continued._

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_Two more chapters yet to come, I think… It can always happen that I get too excited and write a little bit more, but if my calculations are correct, two shall be._

_I hope you liked this chapter. Please leave me a review with your opinions and let me know if you want a fast update ;o)_


	39. Judgment Day, part two

_As it's been happening lately, this chapter will start with a little flashback, so be prepared to return some weeks in time and to a scene we never got to see in 'Purple rain'._

_Many thanks to my friend and beta reader iratepirate ._

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**Chapter 39**

**Judgment Day**

**Part Two**

_Iacon, Autobot Council Judgment Room, four deca-cyles ago._

Thundercracker listened to the list of his crimes with the same unemotional countenance he would have had if facing a recount of his achievements. He had always been stoic, both for praise and recrimination. His creator used to say that sometimes it would have been easy to assume he used a facemask, one not made of metal.

He was currently more worried about staggering on the platform. His frame was a wreck of marred metal and exposed circuits, not to mention that he was very close to depleting his energy reserves, but he couldn't afford to let his legs to falter, even less to fall. That was one luxury that the Autobots wouldn't take away from him and one he was not willing to concede.

His comrades in arms would have called it the honour of a Decepticon warrior, but he had another name for it. It was his own pride, the one that had to do only with the allegiance to himself. Now he wondered if he should call it stubbornness instead. He was about to be condemned to death and all he could think about was his slagging, good-for-nothing honour…

"Prisoner, do you have something to say in your defense?"

He lifted his head and looked at the old modeled mech that was staring at him severely. Some fossil of the old Autobot Council, maybe even a survivor of the attack Thundercracker himself had perpetrated against that same Senate Building so many thousands of vorns ago… He could still feel the scent of vital fluid arriving to his olfactory sensors, poking the killer inside of him and convincing him that there was no other way.

But there had been; he had never been so blind as to deny it. Back then, as he had watched Starscream and Skywarp tearing out sparks with a glimmer in their optics that could only be related to pleasure, and as his own hands had burnt whilst being bathed in the fuel of his victims, he had understood that such sight would become regular in the life that had just started for him. The line had been there, as well as all its warnings, but he had decided to cross it. It had been his decision.

Thundercracker shook his head in denial, a loose cable on his neck sparking painfully with the movement. Of course he had nothing to say in his defense. What could he say? That all he did for fifty thousand vorns was fight for a cause he believed in, as much as he questioned it? That the killings at the Medical Facility, the Senate Building and everything that came later had been done for the sake of justice?

"Who's justice…?" he said to himself. The Autobot guards around him certainly believed he was insane.

The next words were a blur. _Guilty… It is the decision of this tribunal… termination… _He was sick and tired of everything. The lack of surprises was proving to be as annoying as the burning pain in every servo of his body. Couldn't those Autobots just get it over with and offline him? Why the charade of a trial? At least a Decepticon tribunal would have granted him the right to death by combat. But even the honour of being terminated on the battlefield was forbidden for him.

He could feel the particles of hate floating around him like the corrosion of the dying planet Cybertron was, after all. There was no Autobot inside that room, especially Prowl, that didn't consider him a criminal. And they were right. To their code, but especially to their optics, he was a traitor, a terrorist, a murderer of his own kind… the same crimes that also made him a loyal Decepticon.

He wished his arms hadn't been chained because he really, _really, _needed to lean on the slagging rail of the platform… He cursed his low energy levels, but didn't blame them for his weakness. That was his doing. Even with one foot on the scrapheap, he continued making the same stupid mistakes.

"_My execution… I want you to watch."_

Infamous last words; his creator would never hear any others from him. It was the desperation led by those words that made him struggle violently when the Autobot guards grabbed his arms and dragged him back to his cell. If at least he could have one breem more with his father, just one breem… But what could he tell him, anyway? That he was sorry? It wasn't with words that he would erase a life full of absences and silence. He had destroyed the one precious thing he had ever had, and no apology could ever give him redemption.

He had destroyed his father, in more than one way, and he continued doing it, even during his last breems of life. He had always been a stupid child, one that would never have the chance to make things right.

* * *

_Iacon, Autobot Council Judgment Room, today._

Life was the ultimate practical joker. Thundercracker knew that very well, but still he couldn't help quirking an optic brow when the first thing he saw from the insides of the accursed Iacon Council Building was the equally accursed platform on which he had stood when he had been judged not so many cycles ago.

_But I didn't stagger…_

He shook his head, cursing whatever sick thing he understood as honor. Besides, he had no time for sentimental trips through his recent memories. Time kept running relentlessly and it definitely knew nothing about mercy.

He kicked the metal panel he just had blown to get in, and glanced frantically around the big, empty room.

"Where is Optimus Prime?" he said, placing Ratchet on the floor.

Ratchet didn't reply. His frame was there, but his mind seemed to be countless mechano miles away, still shocked by a reality he was still reluctant to admit.

Thundercracker placed his hands on the medic's shoulders. "Ratchet," he spoke calmly. "You need to take me to Optimus Prime. It's very important."

Surprisingly, Ratchet reacted, although the look of disappointment he locked on Thundercracker's optics couldn't have been more painful. "Just leave, Thundercracker… Haven't you done enough damage already?"

Thundercracker frowned, his grip on Ratchet's shoulders tightening. The familiar feeling of anger ran through the core of his spark as it had done so many times before and, as always, the target of such anger was himself.

"You were good to me, Ratchet, ever since the beginning. I'm asking you to trust in me again, just one more time…"

"Release him and step back, Decepticon."

Thundercracker released Ratchet and turned around, finding the gun aimed towards him. A sharp confirmation about the jokes that life played happened when he met the serious face of Prowl, who was looking at him with the same cold optics that had witnessed his termination sentence. Perhaps death would find him after all.

Thundercracker stepped back and lifted his hands, even though he knew any pacifist signal on his account would look just as empty as all the lies he had told. He couldn't blame Prowl for that.

"How did you know?" he asked simply.

"In a way, I always knew," Prowl said more calmly than the situation required. But then again, it was Prowl. "But I allowed your act to blind me, and that was my mistake."

Typical Prowl, no further recriminations would come from him. He had to be one of the greatest Autobot purists ever, and yet he wouldn't submit to rage, not even in the worst case scenario for his kind.

"I need to speak with Optimus Prime."

"That's a privilege you decided to lose."

Thundercracker's hands turned into fists. "This is a life and death situation, Prowl! You have to listen—"

Pain happened at the same moment he realized he had stopped speaking. But his vocalizer continued to function, and a muffled groan made itself heard as a yellow shape pinned him to the wall.

"You traitor! You slaggin' traitor!" he could hear amongst the sound of the fists pummeling him. Nothing that he hadn't expected, but still it was disturbing. "We trusted you… _I_ trusted you, slaggit!"

"Back off, Sunstreaker," Prowl said, unemotional as always. "We still need to interrogate him."

"Interrogate my slaggin' aft! What else do you need to hear from this piece of scum, Prowl? More lies?" With that, Sunstreaker punched Thundercracker's midsection so hard that he made him fall on one knee.

"I don't have time for this—" a kick to his head shook his processor so violently that for a moment his optic sensors saw nothing but blurry and colorful shapes. When his vision stabilized, the first thing he saw was the cannon of Sunstreaker's gun mechano inches from his face.

"Any last words, Deceptiscum?"

"Sunstreaker, put the gun down. That is an order I'm not planning on repeating."

Sunstreaker snorted. "Why? Because of your protocol? Come on, Prowl! Wasn't this slagger condemned to death in this same room? I'll just carry out the sentence."

"No sentence will be executed without proper authorization, especially in this case. Besides, Ratchet tells me we have other priorities."

Sunstreaker growled and forced Thundercracker to get up, his gun never leaving the Seeker's face.

"What's the status of the bomb you planted?" Prowl asked, going straight to the point. Thundercracker was grateful for the direct policy of the Autobots Second in Command. There would be time to shred the Decepticon spy to pieces later.

"It will explode in exactly 1.8 breems. Don't waste time going back to the generator. Once activated, the bomb can't be stopped. And I'm very sure it's activated because I did it myself."

"Bomb? What bomb?" Sunstreaker said, shaking Thundercracker.

Prowl ignored Sunstreaker's reaction. It was as if only he and Thundercracker were in that room. "I've analyzed your behavior since you started your undercover mission and I found all your actions logical towards the consecution of your goal. But this, frankly, doesn't compute."

"And it won't, so don't waste precious time trying to find answers. All you need to know is that you have to take all the Autobot troops out of Iacon immediately. Megatron is leading you into a trap."

"Rrrrright!" Sunstreaker hissed. "We flee from the city so you and the other Deceptiscums have an easy victory? I don't think so!"

Thundercracker shot a furious look to his former friend. "Your defeat is a done thing! Why else would you be here, instead of fighting in the streets of a city you've already lost? The Decepticons have forced you to retreat, and right now you're regrouping in this place, the seat of the old Cybertronian regime, by Optimus Prime's orders? Am I right?"

"You're slaggin' dead, that's what you are!" Sunstreaker spat, punching Thundercracker's midsection and making him bend.

"Suppose your assumptions are correct," Prowl continued, once again as if his enemy weren't being roughly punished. "What would the reason of your presence here be? I'm not so blind as not to see that you spared Ratchet's life, but, as it happened with every one of your actions in the Ark, you must have intentions that only serve your personal benefit."

Thundercracker hesitated. That was nothing but the pure truth. No action, not even one born from honorable feelings, was exempt of selfishness, especially redemption. "I won't deny that. But in this case the benefits are mutual. You can lose one city or you can lose the entire war. The choice is yours."

Prowl remained silent, which was definitely a good signal. Even the serious – and somewhat sad – look that Sunstreaker gave him next proved how deep Thundercracker's words had dug in. When Sunstreaker punched him in the face again, it wasn't an act born from pure violence.

Thundercracker staggered but remained on his feet, his hand clenching the rail of the platform to prevent himself from falling.

"Why?" he heard the hurt voice of the same bot that had palmed his shoulder just a few cycles ago. "Why did you do it?"

"I'm a Decepticon," he said simply.

Sunstreaker grabbed him by the neck. "Yeah, I can see you are… a filthy, traitorous, Decepticon scum—"

Thundercracker frowned and slapped Sunstreaker's hands away from him. "I am a Cybertronian warrior, just as you are! The fact that I happen to think differently than you do doesn't make me a monster! And you better keep your hands quiet or next time I'll respond to you accordingly!"

Sunstreaker raised his gun again. "Why you—"

"ENOUGH."

The confirmation of Optimus Prime's presence being able to stop whatever quarrel against his troops was confirmed the moment he entered the vast space of the former Judgment Room. There was a surreal majesty surrounding him despite the countless wounds marring his frame. Thundercracker recognized the traces of Megatron's fusion cannon.

"Speak," Optimus Prime said, addressing Thundercracker directly. "Before, your words were lies that guided us to perdition. What do you have to say now that your betrayal has been uncovered?"

Not being shot on sight was not precisely a good signal. Then Thundercracker understood. Optimus Prime had already admitted defeat, resigning Iacon, the Autobot capital city, to the Decepticons. Had it been Megatron, he would have fought till death to protect Polyhex, no matter how many soldiers were killed in the process. But Optimus Prime had chosen to retreat, privileging the life of his men, and regroup in another location to continue battling.

He knew that Optimus Prime wouldn't express his disappointment with violence, not even after the monstrous charade that Thundercracker had staged, mocking every one of the principles of the Autobots code of honour, the same code that Thundercracker had embedded into his reckless programming. Perhaps that's why it hurt more, although Thundercracker was sure that his remorse didn't come from a series of commands disguised as ethics.

"I am here to say the one thing I didn't give you when you granted me the asylum I didn't deserve," Thundercracker said, activating a hologram of Iacon by punching a small button on his wrist. Guns aimed immediately at him, just as he had expected. Through lies he had found open arms, and now that he had nothing but the truth, only cannons greeted him.

"Weapons down, Autobots," Optimus Prime said, already scrutinizing the highlighted spots on the hologram. Reluctantly, Sunstreaker and Prowl did so.

Thundercracker addressed the virtual map, finding a very welcome shelter against the unfriendly stares targeting him, reflections of the mirror his spark had become. "Megatron has led you into a trap. All the battles that happened during this cycle have been a distraction, staged to make you retreat and crush you once you regroup."

"The only reason why Megatron made us retreat was because he had all the intel you stole from us," Sunstreaker said rancorously. "This battle was lost even before the first shot was fired!"

That was one assumption Thundercracker was not looking forward to discussing. "A lost battle is not a lost war. If you escape now, you will be able to reorganize your forces with only minimal losses and maintain your strength despite the loss of your capital city."

"_Only _minimal losses?" Sunstreaker spat. "We lost fellow Autobots today, you sparkless spawn of a glitch! But of course, why would you care anyway? Fraggin' traitorous scum…"

"Casualties are expected in any battle," Thundercracker said coldly, doing his best to ignore the painful ache inside his chest plates and giving voice only to the warrior. "But tragedies can be prevented. You can escape to Altihex through the sublevel system."

"Yeah… so we can be an easy target for the Decepticons. Just how foolish do you think we are? You personally fed Megatron with all data concerning Iacon and its escape routes!"

Thundercracker stared at Sunstreaker. "Megatron doesn't know about the hidden sublevels in this zone. I made sure to keep that information out of his reach."

"Dividing the information you stole from Teletraan only shows how coldly you carried on your double agent mission," Optimus Prime said severely. "The game you are playing is not only dangerous, but devious, Thundercracker. Why did you return here to warn us?"

Thundercracker's trembling hands turned into fists. "Because… because _this_ is not honorable! The Decepticons were forged through combat, but now everything is about slaughter... A victory gained through betrayal is no victory."

Optimus Prime remained silent for a moment. Thundercracker knew how empty his words would sound, but truth and guilt was all he had now.

"Megatron will destroy you for this."

Thundercracker narrowed his optics. "Perhaps… but I can't act otherwise. I have dishonored myself enough."

Optimus Prime nodded. "So be it. I have received an internal comm from Wheeljack confirming that the bomb you planted on the main generator will explode in exactly half a breem without any possibility of being stopped. We will make use of the deactivation of the defense systems to evacuate the city."

Optimus Prime gave some instructions to Prowl regarding the reunion of his troops before addressing Thundercracker again. "We will meet again, Thundercracker, and we will do it as enemies. Such was your decision and you will have to face the consequences."

Thundercracker nodded slowly, the accursed enemy word hurting him more than any death sentence. He watched the small group of Autobots leaving the place, the ancient Council Judgment Room seeming more overwhelming than ever now that it was being left empty for good.

"Erase those insignias off your wings, you don't deserve them," Sunstreaker told him before reaching the exit. "There will always be a next time, Decepticon, and when that time comes, you will respond to me as a warrior instead of a traitor."

Sunstreaker didn't wait for an answer. Perhaps it was also too painful for him.

But facing the last Autobot was the hardest thing. Thundercracker hadn't expected anything more than disappointment coming from Ratchet, but when their optics locked he was surprised to see much more.

"By planting that bomb you knew Iacon would become a dead city instantly, but you also knew that the energy shutdown would provide us a relatively easy way to escape through the sublevels… I think I'm beginning to understand the way your honor works, Thundercracker, as well as the way you serve your cause."

"You were right," the Seeker said after a pause.

Ratchet frowned. "About what?"

"I wasn't pretending… not the whole time."

"I know," Ratchet said, extending his hand. "And believe me when I say that I really wish you the best. I hope you will survive Megatron's fury and that you will give yourself the chance to finish the change that you started. Returning to your former blindness is not an option anymore."

Thundercracker shook Ratchet's hand affectionately. "For a medic you are very observant."

Ratchet didn't lose the grip on the Seeker's hand and stared at him seriously. "Good luck, then. May we meet under different circumstances."

Thundercracker nodded, recognizing in Ratchet a friend that would last until his spark extinguished. He would have liked to tell him how thankful he was for all his help and teachings, but he was out of words. He hoped, though, that the Autobot would know.

When Thundercracker was left alone, looking at his own shadow reminded him that it wasn't an evil twin that he was facing. Contradictory as they were, all his actions and decisions were his. He had deviated from his fate ever since creation, and now he continued to do so, betraying the same cause that had taken him to stab the back of the ones that had extended him a helping hand, the ones that, at the end, were his own kind. He was a double traitor, a deviant whose actions would always be pending between two factions that had made the mistake of ignoring the shades of grey.

He leaned on the rail of the platform when the blackout happened.

Iacon, the former glorious Autobot capital city, was dead. Its buildings would remain standing, but deprived from all light and energy.

Just as the last of its sons.

Thundercracker hid his face between his hands. Never in his life had he felt lonelier.

_To be concluded._

* * *

_The line "The Decepticons were forged through combat, not slaughter' was taken from All Hail Megatron vol. 12, in which the Autobots ask Thundercracker why he decided to save them and betray, even if momentarily, the Decepticons._

_Many thanks for your continuous support. Your comments are a big inspiration, especially now that we are reaching the ending of this story. Yeah, one chapter more guys...  
_


	40. Deviant

I can't believe I'm finally posting this chapter. To be honest, I had most of it written months ago, but there was a part of me that kept postponing the moment in which I had to actually write the words 'The end'. But ah, I finally did it, thanks to some very gentle reminders of how much of a slacker I am :oP

As it happened with its prequel, this story touched me in a way very few of my stories have touched me. It may sound ridiculous or corny, but as I wrote more and more about the inner and outer conflicts of the marvelous character that Thundercracker is, I began to understand him, but most of all, to love him. I have asked myself why, even though I'm very fond of many TV series and anime, Transformers has been the only one which has inspired me to write fanfiction after fanfiction. I think the answer is precisely that one, that at some point I began to love these characters that were with me since my childhood.

There are many people I want to thank for the support and inspiration provided to write and finish 'Deviant'. I could try to name them all, but the list would be too long, not to mention that I'm afraid I could forget to mention somebody and that wouldn't be fair. So I'll just say thanks, many thanks, from the bottom of my heart for being with me during this journey that took more than two years and forty chapters to be completed. And of course that I include in my gratitude all the people who read, favored and reviewed this story. Without all of you, 'Deviant' would have been only an idea circling in my head.

And speaking about gratitude, my hugs go also to iratepirate, sista, beta reader, dream catcher. She made an amazing job correcting the grammar of this chapter practically right after I sent it to her. Many kudos for having this chapter ready to be posted today, sis!

Okay, let's proceed to the conclusion then… Just let me add that there are some important notes at the end of the fic. Please make sure to read them when you're done with this final chapter of Deviant... ah it really is the final… it feels weird to put it that way.

* * *

**Chapter 40**

**Deviant**

A robot stood lonely beneath the void. No lights, no life, not anything, just him and his guilt to keep him company, a burden he knew he would carry until the end of his days.

Thundercracker walked dead street after dead street, for the first time in his life the thought of flying didn't even graze his mind. The grey buildings stood around him like crypts in a mausoleum, the most important city of Cybertron completely deprived of life. That was his doing, his own destructive gift to his world.

He could hear some explosions and shots in the distance. Perhaps his comrades in arms were shooting some Autobot who hadn't been able to leave the city in time, or perhaps they were just celebrating their victory. Or maybe they were just killing themselves, drunk on pitiful glory they hadn't gained through honorable combat. So many things had changed since Thundercracker had believed in the cause that promised him freedom, and so many things were yet to change.

His steps continued reverberating through the dark streets as the buildings continued to witness the pass of the one who had brought them doom. The dark windows stared at him, accusatory, reflections of his bare soul that insisted on pointing sharp fingers at him.

He sensed the proximity of his destination long before he had any visual of it. His eyes remained blind to some things, but his spark would always see and would always remind him of what he had done. That was perhaps the ultimate curse of a traitor, to always carry an enemy within, an enemy who refused to stay silent. Escape was impossible.

The sight of the dwelling in which he had spent his sparkling vorns didn't bring him any relief. It was the killing shot to his hopes of finding anything there that resembled peace. His creator was not there, not even the echoes of the laughs and games… and of course, he himself wasn't there either. Whoever he had been had died the day he had made his own the emblem that had been traced for the first time with the blood of a Cybertronian.

He approached the debris that once had been his home, the home in which the remains of his deviant spark rested, the home he should have never left to follow a mirage. The place was dead as well, the result of the devastation and pillage of war, but most of all of the aftermath of his betrayal. Thundercracker had spent most of his life between purple walls, but not even once, during all those millenniums, had he felt anything like the inner peace that had accompanied his sparkling years beside his father. The Decepticon cause had been his house, but never his home.

His hands were close to trembling, but he contained his moment of weakness when he realized that loneliness was no longer his privilege. He recognized the presence without the need to scan the energy signature. Beyond any emotional or physical bond, the communion created by Seekers who had shared the same sky for eons made them brothers, no matter how stained their brotherhood was with blood and treason.

Thundercracker turned around, once again not surprised by the winged shadow standing on the other side of the street.

* * *

_Cybertron, Kaon Coliseum, seven solar cycles ago._

"STOP! Stop I tell you! That's enough, enough!" Starscream cried, trying uselessly to move his right arm and achieving nothing but severing more of the wires that were the only reason why his servo was still attached to his torso. A stream of Energon fell on his face plates, but it wasn't his blood but that of the victor.

"And why would I stop?" Thundercracker roared, straddled on Starscream and with all his instincts set to kill.

The defeated Seeker weakly grabbed one of the hands that was crushing the circuits in his neck without any mercy. "You won, you won… What else do you need to prove? You won, slaggit!"

Thundercracker increased his grip on his victim, seeing nothing but his image mirrored in that face. He deserved that. He deserved to be in Starscream's place, for everything he had done and what he was yet to do. More than ever he wished he was the one underneath, that he could end his disgust for himself by simply crushing that life force between his hands.

But it wouldn't happen, not that day. A scowl formed on his face and his fingers released their prey… Starscream looked at him fearfully, nothing but pain and uncertainty blinking in his cracked optics.

Thundercracker felt something frozen running through his fuel lines as he looked at that face that resembled so much his own. More than ever, he wanted to empty his weapons on that broken mirror, to melt it until the thing inside him stopped hurting.

Infinitely disgusted in himself, he put his hand on Starscream's mouth and pressed hard, oblivious to the groans of pain coming from his former Air Commander. His other hand was crueler, as it headed towards Starscream's damaged arm and tore it off from his frame with a violent yank. Unbearable pain didn't wait to make itself heard through muffled, yet high pitched vocals.

"Shut up!" Thundercracker hissed. "Aren't you always gloating about you being the perfect embodiment of a Decepticon? Then shut the frag up and take it as one! Decepticons do not whine!"

Starscream groaned some astrokliks more before grabbing Thundercracker's wrist. With a trembling effort he managed to remove the hand covering his mouth.

"Y-you… you will pay for this…" he muttered, spitting Energon.

Thundercracker twisted his mouth in a grimace of contempt. "I'm going to need some proof of your defeat. I can take your head if you prefer, it makes no difference to me."

A short circuit in the ugly hole that Starscream had on his shoulder shook his frame brutally. The small sparks flying towards Thundercracker's face brought him back from the remains of his clouded thoughts and forced him to face reality, the one reality he still had to betray.

"Go," he said, looking at the dark tunnel ahead. "Megatron must have sent someone to retrieve you… go now before I change my mind and terminate you."

Starscream tried to get up but he failed miserably, not achieving more than getting on his knees and supporting his weight on his remaining arm, which also seemed to belong to the scrapheap.

"I can't slaggin' move!"

"You can always crawl," Thundercracker said, starting to make his own staggering way towards the opening above and dispersing the smoke with Starscream's arm, a macabre trophy which moved its blue fingers in a morbid dance.

Starscream said something more but Thundercracker didn't listen to him. He chose not to do it. There would be plenty of time later to have that conversation he still had pending with his former – and soon to be again – Air Commander.

But not now. Now, he still had many backs to stab, the same backs that had turned towards him to offer him the most generous hands that had ever tried to reach him since the innocent days in which there was nothing in the Universe besides him and his creator. Those days, in which smiles were so abundant, seemed like a distant dream now.

* * *

"So you were here," Starscream said, walking toward the destroyed dwelling. "As always, you are as predictable as you are sentimental. It's fortunate that your enemiesare not close, otherwise they would find a ridiculously easy target. But then again, who is _not_ an enemy of yours, Thundercracker? I'd say you are a much hated mech on both sides of the line these days."

"What do you want, Starscream?" Thundercracker asked, frowning. His battle computer hummed.

"Why, I'm having a word with the hero, the conqueror of Iacon. What else?"

It was disturbing to see Starscream walking so confidently through the same place that had seen Thundercracker grow up; it was worse than an insult.

"Masks off," he said, keeping his optics on the Air Commander all the time. "I think we have gone through enough lately. We can afford to leave the old ironies behind."

"I find it curious that you talk about masks," Starscream said as he cast a glance of contempt at his surroundings. "You, who hid behind one for all these vorns. Although I have to say that I was not surprised when I heard about the existence of the poor working robot who dreamed of being a Seeker… You should have known better than changing only your name and frame when you decided to play with your destiny; I could smell your Autobot stench ever since the first time I saw you."

"It's curious, however, that you didn't say anything about that until now, when you have done your research into my past," Thundercracker said as he clenched a fist, his Decepticon programming kicking out and calling for a victim. "Is it a second round that you are looking for, Starscream? Go on, I'm ready!"

Starscream sneered but didn't change his relaxed stance. Instead, he leaned forward and started to rummage through a pile of debris. "Did you really live here, with your creator? Bizarre… I don't envy you, obviously, but I can't help but wonder what it was like. All I remember from my first days was that they made us fly from the first breem of the cycle till the last one."

Thundercracker unclenched his fist, his hunger for a fight vaporizing as suddenly as it had started. He would have liked to know who 'they' were, but Starscream wasn't one to reveal specific details about his past; he had his own mask to carry.

"I need to ask you something."

"And what would that be?" Starscream said whilst he kept invading the shattered memories of his wingmate. For some reason, Thundercracker didn't feel furious anymore.

"Did you give it all? In our duel, I mean… Did you fight with all your strength?"

Starscream took a broken piece of an Energon dispenser from the wreckage, only to toss it aside immediately with evident disgust. "What do you think, Steelcrank? You won the duel, did you not?"

The mention of his former name was hurtful. "Don't call me that."

"Why not? It's your name, the name your _father _gave you, the same name you renounced."

Thundercracker lowered his head, pain and shame assaulting him the same.

Starscream stood up and faced him. "We agreed that we would take the duel seriously that day when you staged the attack on that human settlement because Prowl was suspicious of you... Did I do something during our combat that made you think I had changed my mind?"

Memories were again so bitter. Thundercracker would always remember that day as one of his most shameful. He had endangered innocent beings – again – just to protect himself from Prowl's suspicions. Challenging Starscream to a duel had come as a last resort, and it had worked to keep his infamous ex Air Commander away from the humans, but also had provided a way for the final lesson to be delivered.

"What did you tell Megatron?" Thundercracker asked eventually, trying not to expose his real thoughts.

"What we agreed, that we planned the duel so you could win. It wouldn't have been good for my life expectancy, not to mention my reputation considering the outcome of the fight, if I had told him that we both decided to take that duel as the opportunity to settle our differences. Kill two birds with one stone, I think that's the human expression… But you should know better than me, _human lover. _I don't think I ever told you how ridiculous you looked trying to protect those bags of flesh that day at the human settlement. The Autobots are more foolish than I thought if they bought your cheap comedy._"_

Thundercracker knew that he should have been furious, but he smirked instead. "You are one fragged up mech, Starscream… It took me too long – and a lot of pain I must admit – to start to understand you. It's such a shame for you, the fact that you just lost the ability to annoy me. There is more in the things you don't say than in your eternal delusional speech."

Starscream remained silent for a moment, grey nanokliks in which his face plates revealed nothing.

"Fly with me," he said finally, his transformation cog already in motion and his wings extended towards the dark sky.

Thundercracker didn't think, feeling the call of the skies but also the one of the place where he had belonged for countless eons. The vast majority of the zillions of breems that he had spent airborne belonged there, to the right side of Starscream's plating.

"_You are a fortunate mech, Thundercracker. You'd be fool thinking otherwise," _Starscream's voice resounded through his comm link.

Of course, Thundercracker thought otherwise. Luck was not exactly what he had carried along with him all those vorns, but perhaps it was one of the many advantages of being a treacherous piece of junk.

"_And you'd be even more foolish if you waste _this_,"_ the screechy voice continued. _"It's not an everyday thing to have a second opportunity. It's not an everyday thing that _I _grant it to you."_

He knew perfectly well what Starscream was talking about. It had been a tacit, yet carefully elaborated game, in which they both had risked something more than just their lives. It would have been easy to say that there was no mech that knew Thundercracker better than Skywarp, but it seemed that Starscream had also learned to read him during all those millions of years of flying together. Wanted or not, there was no way to avoid certain bonds from forming amongst trinemates, bonds that would stay with them until the day they ceased to function.

Starscream made his engines roar and put some distance between him and Thundercracker. The challenge had been made, and Thundercracker wasn't going to decline it. Starscream was both his executioner and his saviour, and in that moment Thundercracker would have followed him until the end of the Universe with the same easiness that he would have destroyed him with. A part of him regretted not having terminated Starscream that infamous day at the Coliseum. That would have signaled his own doom, his absolute descend into the monster's dominion, but at least down there betraying the Autobots wouldn't have been so painful.

"_Your speed has increased," _Starscream said. _"I'm impressed. Did the Restoration Chamber do something to your flying systems, or is this change your own doing? Ah, you Autobots… always aiming for the impossible."_

Thundercracker forced his thrusters to their limit. It didn't matter if he exploded with the effort, he was determined to reach Starscream no matter the cost. When he found the familiar warmth of that white plating again, he realized that it was impossible to know, even for he who was a machine, the exact number of times in which he had flown alongside that same plating. How many formations, how many battles, how many life and death situations he had gone through with the trine that had become his family… Now the unit was broken, and just as it had happened with his first family, it was his doing.

Both Seekers challenged the Cybertronian skies for the following few breems without saying another word. Propelled by unknown forces, Thundercracker reached the nosecone of his trine leader and remained there, defying both gravity and logic. Starscream didn't try to separate from the one that had guarded his right plating for all those vorns; his wings continued grazing the blue ones of his wingmate in the most peaceful flight they had ever shared. For the first time since they had been assigned to the same unit, they were flying just for the pleasure of flying, no war and no rancor between them.

When they arrived at the abandoned Iacon Military Academy, Thundercracker decreased his speed and transformed into his bipedal form, understanding that the strange flight had reached an end. Starscream did the same, his thrusters keeping him in the air as he faced his wingmate.

"Megatron promoted you. You will have a unit of forty Seekers at your command," Starscream said emotionlessly. "We won't fly together ever again."

The announcement shouldn't have been a surprise. Of course many things had to change after the events of the past few cycles, but still Thundercracker couldn't ignore the sting of pain.

"You were the only one who stood beside me during this entire charade, Starscream," he said when he was able to speak again. "Don't think that I will ever forget that."

Starscream snorted. "You'd be an ungrateful glitch if you did. But spare me from your pathetic gratitude, it's something I can definitely live without."

"Unlike retribution," Thundercracker said calmly, "which is something that you will eventually ask of me."

"You know me well," Starscream said, sneering. "But I guess time will tell. I only put you in a position in which the decision was ultimately yours, but I'm afraid you did nothing but return to your old ways. Or tell me, did seeing your own soul teach you nothing? Autobot or Decepticon, Thundercracker? Speak!"

A small crackle in Starscream's helm was the only response. He turned his back to Thundercracker and said something in a low voice. When he ended the communication, he stared at his former wingmate again.

"Megatron requests your presence. Don't keep him waiting," Starscream said, his thrusters propelling him upwards. Thundercracker was sure that his audio receptors were failing, because he could have sworn that he had heard a bit of sadness in Starscream's voice.

But Starscream didn't transform, even less left. There was something else he still had to say. He didn't turn around to stare at his ex wingmate again, though. It was clear that there was something in his face that he didn't want to expose.

"Yes, I gave it all in our duel," he said with a serious, solemn tone that Thundercracker had never heard in his voice, which for once didn't sound screechy. "I fought with all my strength… But don't gloat, because you won't be so lucky next time. Unlike you, I am not one who counts granting mercy amongst his flaws."

Thundercracker didn't say anything else and watched Starscream leave. There would be a next time, of course there would be a next time… He just had gone through the most intimate moment he had ever shared with his former trine leader, one in which their brotherhood had pulsated more than ever, and yet he knew that their final confrontation was yet to come. Starscream knew every twisted corner that Thundercracker had taken during his inner journey, and he wouldn't leave him alone until he was sure he had delivered his lesson.

"Thank you, Starscream", Thundercracker said in a low voice before transforming and heading towards what perhaps would be his final destination.

* * *

"Enter."

The doors creaked when Thundercracker forced them open. Just like the city of Iacon, its buildings were dead too, no energy left running through their walls. But the figure standing at the center of the room defied the lack of light with the imposing aura of triumph caressing his wide shoulders. Liberator or tyrant, hero or monster, Megatron had always had a shine of his own. Thundercracker remembered clearly the first day he had heard the underground gladiator speaking, his voice so rough and yet so full of authority. As many others, Thundercracker had believed in him immediately.

Megatron had his back turned to Thundercracker, a moment the Seeker used to quickly run a scan of the room and look for potential threats. But neither his optics nor his radars detected anything. If his leader was intending to challenge his fighting skills again, it wouldn't be through the language of weapons.

It wasn't the darkness, but the solitude that surprised Thundercracker. Megatron had never been one to surround himself with bodyguards; he carried in his spark the loneliness and the distrust of the miner, old habits that hadn't died when he replaced his old Energon axe with a fusion cannon. Nevertheless, Thundercracker had expected that, in that moment in which the ambitioned City State of Iacon had fallen, Megatron would resort to some amount of underestimated glory, especially considering where he was standing.

But there was none. The former gladiator was standing alone, potential target for any Autobot sniper that could have remained in the building. Assassination attempts were frequent in the Decepticon leader's life, but Megatron had always refused to protect himself behind anything other than his own strength. He had challenged death since he had given himself the title of saviour of Cybertron, stubborn in demonstrating that he was immortal, able to survive anything that fate had to throw at him. He was his own shield, and he was, indeed, fearless. Leader, tyrant… and a paternal figure in bizarre way, the kind of father that would send his sons to die without any second thoughts, everything for the conquest of his home planet, the one thing he valued more than his own life. Thundercracker had thought many times that at the end of the war, and at the end of times, Megatron would be the one Cybertronian left standing, powered by his ambition, his hunger for power and his cruelty, but most of all, by his obsession to survive and to conquer; the two halves that made Megatron who he was and which had led him to defeat the limits his humble origins had tried to impose on him.

Megatron turned around. One of the moons of Cybertron sneaked through the big window at the bottom of the room and illuminated the face of the leader of all Decepticons. Thundercracker felt the fear running through his fuel lines, but he managed to control it. He knew that his optics were perhaps seeing for the last time, but he would face the moment of truth with all his honour. What was left, but honour, when the moment of death had come?

"You are not celebrating like your Decepticon brethren," Megatron spoke. "Why?"

Thundercracker made a military salute to his leader before responding. "I have nothing to celebrate, my Lord."

Megatron studied Thundercracker's face before heading towards the big window. "We agree on that."

When Megatron remained still beneath the glass, Thundercracker dared to approach. He stopped beside his Commander, but conserved a respectful distance. The light of the moon fell over his face too, colouring it with a bluish tone.

"Have you been in this place before?" Megatron asked.

"Never," Thundercracker replied immediately. It was true. Even during his best times of obedient military service, the seat of the High Council had always been an unreachable golden fortress in the distance, one in which only the rulers of Cybertron had the right to see their frames reflected on the shinning walls. It was, obviously, the first time for Megatron also, a miner whose existence had been decided during its first vorns by bureaucrats, and whose presence would be the ultimate insult to the ancient Cybertronian oligarchy.

"And yet here you are" Megatron continued, "standing in the same room in which the decisions about every single robot functioning on this planet were made, even though now it's nothing more than ashes."

Megatron turned to look at him. Thundercracker faced his Commander without fear, daringly locking his optics with the two crimson orbs before him. "Is it the hero who gave me these ashes the one who stands before my eyes, Thundercracker, or the traitor who helped the Autobots to escape?"

Thundercracker didn't react. Neither his face nor his spark reflected a thing. Megatron knew everything, of course he had to know… that was one of the few certainties that Thundercracker had had since the charade started. Curiously, he didn't stop to think about how his leader had come up with the secret of Thundercracker's newest betrayal. At the end, it didn't matter.

"I would say you are facing both, my Lord, although I definitely wouldn't use the word hero."

Thundercracker also knew that it would be useless to address Megatron with anything but the truth. Lies and pleas were something that suited Starscream fine, but not him.

"And who would you say I am, Thundercracker? Your assassin or your leader? Think carefully."

"That day you told me that I had one thing that distinguished me from the other Seekers," he replied emotionlessly, his memory banks taking him to the fight he had had with Megatron the day he had left the Nemesis. "It took me a while to understand your words, but finally I did. Is the outcome so unsatisfying to you, Sir, or is it only the method? You are my leader, by might and right, but my assassin is something you are not to be, because you have to know, Lord Megatron, that this time I will not hesitate to fight back. If you kill me this day, it won't be with my hands trembling."

Megatron frowned, his piercing optics scrutinizing every inch of the Seeker's face. Thundercracker conducted an inner test of his weapons, knowing very well that he couldn't talk to Megatron like that and expect to be left unscathed, not to mention alive.

But if Thundercracker had thought that he knew his Supreme Commander, he was totally mistaken, as his still stance trembled slightly when Megatron burst into laughter.

"An insolent child," the Decepticon Commander said once he finished laughing. "An insolent, arrogant child… just as every Seeker in this army, but one who has his struts where they belong, nevertheless."

And then Megatron's face transformed, again. Laughter left place for the hardest coldness. "I have killed valuable warriors for much less than this," he hissed.

Thundercracker remained still, even when Megatron approached so much that he could feel the temperature of his energy core.

"You don't fear me," Megatron said. It was an affirmation.

"A soldier should not fear his Commander. A soldier should respect him."

"Did Optimus Prime teach you that?" Megatron's voice was threatening. There was no doubt why so many powerful mechs trembled just at the sound of his rage.

"I have nothing but respect for Optimus Prime."

Megatron flamed Thundercracker with what looked like two red blades instead of optics. "You come here and dare to show your face even after it was you who allowed the Autobots to escape. What are you, suicidal or just a fool?"

Thundercracker would have liked to answer that he was nothing but a traitor, but his vocalizer was suddenly paralyzed.

"As you know, high treason is the biggest crime within the Decepticon Empire," Megatron said. "Unlike the Autobots, I do not impose idealistic values that have no place in the spark of a functional warrior. Allow a soldier to be soft, and you will be sending him to his death. Battles are won with struts and skill, not with honourable behaviour. Decepticons were forged through combat and individuality, the only path to conquest."

"And yet, I have punished insubordination," Megatron continued, "because individuality without discipline is nothing but a powerful weapon without the ability to aim. Logic says that you have to be terminated, right here and right now. Now tell me, why do you think you remain functioning?"

With death pending above his head, Thundercracker decided that it was time to speak out, now that he had nothing else left to lose. He was going to die, fighting or not, in honour or in shame, and it would make no difference.

"Perhaps… because you hesitated too," he said.

Megatron narrowed his optics in confusion. As much as the Decepticon leader had calculated the results of that bizarre reunion, Thundercracker could tell that he hadn't anticipated that.

"When you killed your first opponent in a gladiatorial match… you hesitated. He was your enemy, killing was the only path to your own survival, and yet you doubted before the possibility of terminating the life a sentient being," Thundercracker said, remembering what he had read about that famous victory in which a miner had died and a legend had been born.

Megatron put his hands behind his back and looked coldly to the city outside. "That was not my first kill."

"I know. You killed one of the security guards of Senator Decimus when you were an Energon miner, but you did it by mere impulse, or so the witnesses say. They say, too, that you felt regret, and I dare to affirm that you stood on the same thin line I stand on day by day, wondering if you were doing the right thing. Your doubts may have ceased, my Lord, but not mine. I believe in the Decepticon cause, but I can't remain watching when I see that dishonour and brutality have turned into our flags. The Decepticons were warriors, but today we are nothing but murderers. There was a moment in which this war against the Autobots became an obsession that deviated us from our true cause, there was a moment in which you lost your way, Lord Megatron."

Thundercracker was very aware that those might be the very last words he would speak in his life. However, they also brought him some peace, and he would make sure to give his leader one hell of a fight before offlining with all the honour a Decepticon soldier should have.

But, once again, termination didn't come. Thundercracker couldn't remember the last time he had seen that serious expression on Megatron's face.

"My true cause was always justice," Megatron said. "No infighting, no dissent, nothing but perfectly controlled peace through unparalleled strength. In order to achieve that, I created the perfect monster, an army with no scruples and no mercy, an army which wouldn't regret or hesitate, as I did, to take any life standing in its way. It was my intention to return the Decepticons to what I originally intended them to be, but the war with the Autobots made me forget about everything except the monster."

A monster with never ending heads, Thundercracker thought, a Hydra in which he had been the head that had insisted on looking the other way.

"I need mechs like you, Thundercracker, who dare to tell me the words that I don't want to hear. Despite his continuous treachery, Starscream lives because he tells me those words. Between his insolence and adulation, he speaks the truth about my flaws. But Starscream himself is nothing but one of those flaws, the result of the monster I forged through the same vices I vowed to eradicate. Where Starscream kneels, you stand. Where he cowers, you fight with honour. You will live today because you are the first one who dares to spit the truth right into my face without any fear in your spark, even if said truth is the equivalent of a termination sentence."

Relief should have bathed him, but there was that sick side of Thundercracker that insisted on feeling disappointed. Once again, he wouldn't find an honorable way to end his torment.

"Our war has just taken a very interesting turn," Megatron said, signaling Iacon with his right arm, his fusion canon shining beneath the moon light. "The Autobots have been expelled from their capital city, but the final battle is yet to be fought. I want you at my side, Thundercracker, I want you to help me to win this war. And then, only then, I will turn the original Decepticon utopia into a reality."

For a moment, Thundercracker was brought back to his days of youth, in which Megatron speaking had sparked in him the flame of hope and revolution. But now, as he heard his leader speaking directly to him, the doubts that had become his conscience reminded him that trust was nothing but a lost cause.

Still, he inclined his head with respect. He had lost his father but somehow he had gained another one, the heart of the Hydra itself, the liberator and tyrant who had turned him into what he was. And Thundercracker couldn't blame Megatron for that, because he himself had allowed it to happen.

"My loyalty has always been yours." Half lie, half truth. Thundercracker had learned to live standing on those thin lines, even though he knew that balance was another of the many mirages of his deviated soul.

And Megatron seemed to know it too, as he didn't bother to hide the disdain on the curve of his mouth. "I'm sure that Starscream already informed you about your promotion. From now on, you will take your orders directly from me. Not from Starscream, not from Shockwave, not from anybody else. You answer only to me. Is that understood?"

Thundercracker nodded, doubt and loyalty threatening each other in a never ending fight.

"It was your performance with the Autobots that gave us Iacon," Megatron said severely, "but don't think, even for a moment, that I will forget that it was also you who provided them the means to escape. From now on, I expect nothing but the undying allegiance you swore to me. You can be certain that I won't choose to look the other way if you ever give up to your Autobot side again. Your hounour is something I value, Thundercracker, but be very careful next time you decide to double-cross me. The right thing to do, you see, is not always the best."

Thundercracker nodded and made a military salute, understanding that Megatron had just dismissed him. When his leader said nothing else but returned his attention to the window, Thundercracker realized that, just as his tranquility, safety would no longer be his privilege. He had just been dragged into the most dangerous zone of all.

* * *

It was only after the last step of Thundercracker could be heard in the corridor outside that a small, square shape completely hidden within the darkness emerged and jumped towards the center of the room, expanding its size and assuming the form of a blue and white robot as tall as Megatron.

Megatron looked at him. "Soundwave, report."

"Processor activity: between normal range. No anomalies detected. More precise analysis required in order to provide an accurate diagnostic."

Megatron waved his hand. "No, leave it that way… for now. Thundercracker will know if you try to enter his mind, and right now the last thing I want is to provide him another reason to distrust. This Seeker may be the weapon which will bring us the ultimate victory, if properly handled."

"Thundercracker's behavior: incoherent. High treason: latent. Suggestion: termination."

Megatron laughed softly. "Treason has brought interesting, and not entirely displeasing, results. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. But traitors… those are the ones that must become your second armour. I always thought that Starscream would be the ultimate betrayer who would give me the key to victory, but most recent events have turned my attention to one element I made the mistake of underestimating… But that will not happen again. More than ever, I want permanent vigilance on Thundercracker, Soundwave. I want to know what he does, where he goes, who he talks to, what he thinks… I took my chances with him and I obtained a victory, although not the one I was expecting. This time miscalculations are not allowed. I will squeeze Thundercracker's pitiful honour until the last dot, and then, only then, I will allow logic to happen. After all, there's a limit to the usefulness of a traitor."

The last words were spoken with so much darkness and malice that there was no doubt left that it had been Megatron who had sparked the monster of thousands of heads that was his army.

* * *

Thundercracker landed outside the former building of the Iacon Ministry of Defense, which had become the current, improvised Decepticon Headquarters after the Autobots had fled from the city. He entered and walked through some of the labyrinthine corridors that formed the tricky inner structure of what once had been one of the most important places of the entire planet Cybertron, a place he had known well during his military beginnings. But, unlike then, the wide corridors were deserted now, most of the Decepticons certainly still scattered through Iacon taking whatever war trophies they could find. Not that Thundercracker cared for the solitude, though; he had a lot to think about concerning the new position that Megatron had assigned him. It was not an everyday thing that he was promoted to puppet.

He had almost reached the east wing of the building when he found Brawl and Vortex playing with a spherical object that the Seeker soon recognized as a head. It looked like it belonged to some working drone, but still Thundercracker felt sorry for the poor bugger.

The two Combaticons stared at him as soon as they noticed his presence. Their facial expressions were an enigma because of their battle masks, but Thundercracker was sure that they were smirking.

And Brawl himself confirmed his suspicions, as his voice sounded quite ironic when he addressed him. "Well well well, but if it isn't the conqueror of Iacon in the alloy, the Autobot who backstabbed his kind… We heard about your promotion, _hero_. Congratulations!"

Thundercracker shot a murderous look at Brawl, the memory of the damage those two had inflicted him still very present in his pain receptors.

"Hey, no hard feelings, right TC?" Vortex said, walking towards him and putting a hand on his shoulder. "What happens between Decepticons stays between Decepticons."

"Take your filthy hand off, and don't you fragging call me TC."

Vortex removed his hand from Thundercracker's shoulder and raised it in his best – and most hypocritical – version of a pacifist gesture. "Sure, whatever you say… but can you blame us? We were just following orders. We all thought you had sold yourself to the Autoscum, ya know?"

Thundercracker fixed a cold stare on the Combaticon. "I'm not blaming you. I'm just disgusted by your touch."

"You owe him no explanations, Vortex," Onslaught said, coming out from a nearby door. "I don't care about whatever happened. I still have my doubts about the allegiances of this so called warrior."

Thundercracker turned around and faced the Combaticon leader, so close that both their aggressive intentions could be felt as clear as energy fields. "I am standing here, Onslaught, you can tell me to my face your definition of a warrior."

Onslaught stepped forward, touching the Seeker's cockpit with his wide, heavily armoured, chest plates. "So brave of you, isn't Seeker, not to mention convenient, to challenge me right after you have been promoted as Megatron's new favorite?"

So Megatron had decided to keep to himself the information about Thundercracker alerting the Autobots and helping them to escape from Iacon… Of course, there were dark reasons behind such discretion, namely another way to secure Thundercracker's loyalty. Not being under immediate threat of being publicly lynched again should have been encouraging, but in a way Thundercracker would have preferred that everybody knew about his latest addition to his record of betrayal. He was tired and sick of secrets.

Thundercracker pushed forward, managing to make Onslaught retreat the same step he had advanced. "I am no one's favorite, and don't talk to me about bravery. As far as I can tell, I'm not the one making a challenge with a pair of slag-sucker lackeys watching my back."

The blade of one of Vortex's helixes was grazing Thundercracker's neck almost immediately. "How do you like your head attached to your neck, Seeker slag? I kind of feel the need to make some changes about that."

Thundercracker smirked. "Neither in this Universe nor in any other would a second class flier like you be faster than a Seeker. Make your move, Combaticon, but I don't make any promises regarding the status of your own head when we're done."

Vortex chuckled nervously. "So you say… but I don't recall you being that fast when I was going to slice you like a cyber turkey. So what do you say, Onslaught? Should I start producing Seeker pieces? Swindle could sell them on the underground market at very good prices. We're alone here, nobody else would be the wiser."

But it wasn't Onslaught who answered. "I have to disagree with that, chopper face. Seekers are not usually alone, you know? You mess with one, you mess with all."

Everybody turned to the voice behind, whose owner had decided to make himself visible. Skywarp separated from the wall he had been leaning on and calmly unfolded his arms.

"You again?" Brawl growled, subspacing his gun. "I'm getting tired of your last minute entrances."

Onslaught put a cold hand on his fellow Combaticon's arm. "There's no need to engage in useless violence, unless, of course, you _too_ have changed sides, Skywarp. If that's not the case, I'm sure you understand that as head of the elite Gestalt team of the Decepticon Empire, it's my duty to eradicate any potential treats."

Skywarp shrugged his shoulders as Onslaught made a head signal to his two subordinates. "That' what I thought… We'll leave then," he said, addressing Thundercracker again. "As for you, I'm very curious to see how long you can stretch your so called Decepticon loyalty. Time will tell, I guess, and the mistakes that your own glitched Autobot programming will certainly make. In the meantime, you'd do well remembering one thing: I. Don't. Buy. Your. Act."

Onslaught didn't wait for an answer and headed toward the door he had come from, followed by Vortex and Brawl, and leaving Thundercracker to deal with his third judgment of the day.

* * *

The promises of whatever hopes Thundercracker still had vanished when he saw the rancor reflected on Skywarp's face.

"So," the black Seeker said, "when were you planning to come clean? If I didn't know you so well, I'd day you'd been hiding from me."

Thundercracker lowered his gaze, visibly ashamed. "It's not like that."

"Wait!" Skywarp exclaimed, slapping his forehead. "I'm such a fool… Of course it turned out that I didn't know you so well in the end. Actually, it's quite the opposite. I recently discovered that I didn't know frag about you!"

"I said it's not like that!" Thundercracker retorted. "I was looking forward to talking to you, but that won't be possible if you refuse to listen. The last thing I need right now is you playing the victim, Skywarp!"

Skywarp reached Thundercracker and poked him hard on the chest. "You have some nerve talking to me like that! You lied to me, ever since the beginning! Hey, who knows, maybe you've lied to me all my fraggin' life!"

Thundercracker shook his head slowly. "No… it's not like that."

Skywarp frowned, his optics never so angered, but he stepped back. "And you keep saying the same slag… Okay, I'll hear what you have to say. Just know that this time we won't settle things with some mushy slag, not even punching each other to junk. This time you went too far, TC!"

"I know… I was weak by allowing Starscream and Megatron to push me to the edge of an abyss… and I fell. I should know better, but I fell. When Megatron told me that I had something unique that made me different from the other Seekers, I understood that he was not talking about my technical specs. He was talking about me being the only Decepticon in which the Autobots would trust. That was my power, and I was vile enough to use it… But when things got out of control, I just… I… This betrayal was not within my plans, 'Warp."

"Which betrayal? The one you inflicted on me… or to your fellow Autobots?"

Fury shone like scarlet fire in Thundercracker's optics. "Shut up! I'm sick of everybody calling me an Autobot! You don't know a frag about what happened!"

"Oh, but I know!" Skywarp cried, raising his fists. "How could I not know, if I am the poor idiot who heard your complaints all these vorns? I am the one who knew about your doubts about the cause ever since you started to feel them! And guess what, slagger? I didn't tell a soul, not even a single one, you fraggin' moron! And what about you? You talk so much about your honour, but you weren't _honourable_ enough to tell me what was going on when you were forced into that stupid undercover mission. I would have kept the secret, you fool! I would have died keeping your fraggin' secret! I… I would have died for you!"

"I know," Thundercracker almost whispered, lowering his head and feeling filthier than ever. "And that's precisely the reason why I didn't tell you a word. You were in danger, don't you understand? It was open season and the target was my head… any hesitation on your account and you would have become a target too."

Skywarp didn't reply immediately. His face seemed to darken as he was certainly pondering Thundercracker's words.

Skywarp had always considered himself a dull mech, something which Thundercracker had always disagreed with. But in that moment, Thundercracker almost wished that Skywarp didn't have processor enough to sneak between his lies. But what could he expect? Skywarp knew him better than he knew himself.

"It's not just that, is it?" Skywarp said, decreasing the level of his voice.

Thundercracker sighed. Of course he should have guessed that Skywarp would know better. More than wingmates, they had been friends for thousands of vorns… The vilest mech can trick the entire slagging Universe, but there would always be one exception: his brother.

"Tell me," Skywarp spoke again.

Thundercracker looked aside, instinctively looking for a way out. But there was none.

He wasn't surprised when Skywarp grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him backwards, making him retreat until he pinned him against a wall. "Tell me the fraggin' truth! I'm the only friend you've ever had! How many times have I risked my neck for you, you fragger, not to mention that I was the one mech in this army who ever cared about you!"

Thundercracker felt Skywarp's cannons humming so close to his face, but that was not the reason why he lowered his head.

"Tell me, frag it!" Skywarp cried, brutally slamming Thundercracker against the wall.

Red optics shone in absolute fury when Thundercracker pushed Skywarp back and made him retreat, almost throwing him to the floor.

"Because I wanted to join _them_, alright?" Thundercracker shouted, not giving a slag about what could happen to him anymore. "I wanted to be an Autobot!"

Thundercracker fell to his knees, all his strength suddenly gone. "I saw myself in their optics so many times… My father was one of them… _I _was one of them," he continued weakly as he placed his hands on the floor, his voice broken as never before. "The Autobots are not the enemy, 'Warp, we are. At some point we forgot what this war was all about and we became monsters, predators of our own kind. The Autobots know about honour, they know that even in war there is place for generosity and respect for the enemy…. They trusted in me. And how did I thank them? Lying, stabbing them in the back… I… I betrayed them."

It seemed like an eternity before Skywarp spoke again.

"So why didn't you do it?" he said, walking towards Thundercracker. "Why didn't you join them?"

Thundercracker clenched his fists, his fingers scratching the metal beneath and making a screechy sound. "I couldn't, not after betraying them the way I did from the very first day they granted me shelter… But those red insignias on my wings… they burned me but at the same time they felt so good, 'Warp… They were _mine_… I can't explain it…"

Thundercracker could only see Skywarp's feet, but he was sure that his friend had a big scowl on his face. "So that's why you returned, because you had nowhere else to go? I guess it'd suck to have both Autobots and Decepticons on your tail, huh?

Thundercracker got to one knee, but didn't dare to look upwards. "That's not the reason why I returned. To tell you the truth, I don't give a slag about my life anymore."

"Yeah, I believe that, otherwise you wouldn't have told me all this slag. But you know what? It's good that you don't care, then you won't mind when I blow your processor apart," Skywarp hissed, putting his foot on Thundercracker's chest and throwing him on his back. The blue Seeker didn't put up any resistance.

"I may be Autobot by creation… but Decepticon by choice," Thundercracker said, indeed not caring at all about the foot pressing on his cockpit, even less for the two thin cannons pointed toward his head. "I guess I returned because a part of me needed to know that I had made the right choice that day when I swore my undying allegiance to Megatron… I'm a Decepticon… twisted and dysfunctional because I believe in the Autobot Honour code, but that's what I am. Despite my doubts, I… I wouldn't know how to be something else."

Skywarp stared at his fallen ex wingmate with the hardest look that Thundercracker had ever seen in him, but eventually he retired his foot.

"You disgust me," Skywarp said as he lowered his weapons as well. "You are no Autobot, and definitely not a Decepticon. You're nothing but scum, lower than scum."

Thundercracker sat on the floor. He was feeling precisely like that, lower than scum, but at the same time a heavy weight had just been released from his shoulders.

"What now?" he said. "I just gave you the weapon to destroy me. Do what you must, 'Warp. I won't deny anything I said."

Skywarp sneered with contempt. "Yeah, that's what you would like, wouldn't you? For me to fulfill your pathetic fantasies of martyrdom. I might do it, I might not. Who knows? All you need to know is that it won't be you pulling the strings this time. Remember this every time you wake up in the middle of your recharge cycle to wonder if your next day will be the last one. That is, of course, if you can ever recharge again. You brought this on yourself, TC. If you're looking for someone to blame, well, just look in any fraggin' mirror and you'll find it."

Anguish stroked Thundercracker's spark with vicious ferocity. It wasn't fear that made him wince, but seeing his only friend, his brother, walking away from him. At that moment, he needed Skywarp's forgiveness more than anything else in the Universe. But forgiveness would always be banned from his life. He had cast it out himself.

"'Warp, please…"

Skywarp straightened his stance and made a military salute. "I was informed about your promotion… I request permission to be dismissed, Sir!"

_Please… don't do this…_

When Skywarp turned his back to him without waiting for an answer, Thundercracker's pain reached its breaking point. He had betrayed Skywarp, he had betrayed him just as he had betrayed his father and the Autobots… For every mech that had ever cared about him, he had had nothing but betrayal.

"Brother!" he pleaded, giving his pride the same worthless importance he had already given to his life.

Skywarp stood beneath the threshold of the exit. "I would appreciate it if you don't ever call me that again. I said it before. You are dead to me… _Sir."_

And then Skywarp was gone, as he had been gone long before exiting that door.

Thundercracker was left alone, the ashes of his so-called glory escaping through his fingers. He hadn't returned to the beginning, but had fallen to the lowest Pit. Autobot, Decepticon… it was only then when he finally understood that he belonged nowhere. He had been dysfunctional ever since he had had memory, and thus he would remain, the shadow of a mech who dared to believe he was strong enough to have a conscience.

That's what he would always be, an open wound.

A deviant.

**The end**

* * *

The end, I said? No, not really… There will be a sequel to this story, the third and final part of my Thundercracker trilogy. Expect it next August 16th, under the title of 'Once a Decepticon…'

Now, some final comments. As I made a habit during this fic, I made a small flashback to explain some of the events that happened in previous chapters and that were very important to understand the characters' behavior during those events. Now, some of you may say that Starscream wouldn't have given a frag, but the canon, both in the comics and the cartoon, showed that Starscream somehow cared – if we can call it that way – for his two wingmates, as long as they were not obstacles in his path to overthrow Megatron, of course. Speaking of Megatron, I'm sure you noticed that the mentions about his past are based on the IDW comic 'Megatron Origin'. Also, his conversation with Thundercracker was inspired by what he said to Starscream in 'All Hail Megatron' issue 11. I actually used one of Megatron's lines from there: "No infighting, no dissent, nothing but perfectly controlled peace through unparalleled strength." I loved that line ever since I first read it, another proof that Megatron is not the classical 'bwahaha-I-will-conquer-the-Universe' kind of villain, but a complex character that truly believes that his cause is fair.

It means a lot to me that this story has been important to so many people who have been kind enough to let me know their thoughts via reviews, private messages and e-mails. Your feedback has been pure energy to me and has kept my fingers writing on the keyboard. Please don't forget to let me know your final impressions on the story. I know there are many people out there that are not very fond of clicking the review button, but I would love to know your opinions as well. Now that I'm about to start writing the third part of this Thundercracker saga, I could use the fuel :o)

Okay, that would be all for now. Sorry for the very long author's notes, but at least they weren't in italics this time. It would have been a pain to read them that way.

I hope to see you all on 'Once a Decepticon…' next August 16th. Till then :o)


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